Backsbottom Farm (Middle Wood), Roeburndale West near Lancaster.

This is a weekend to come and help develop our Forest garden which has been designed by Ruth Theobold.

The Farm is part of the permaculture LAND projects.

Past weekends have had a lot of volunteers from Manchester Permaculture group as well as other areas.

Bring tent, sleeping bag and some food. I will provide some basic food eg pasta, pulses and a selection of veg. There is a portacabin space with kitchen , cutlery etc, fire

Bring instrument and a sense of fun and any ideas that might help develop this garden.

Areas of work might include pruning, mulching, artistic sculptures, planting, building shelter, making mandala beds, hugelculture! And having fun.

**If you are coming please let Rod Everett know **
email: backsbottomfarm@phonecoop.coop
tel: 015242 22214

Backsbottom Farm, Roeburndale West. Lancaster
Nearest Train 3 miles Wennington
or to Lancaster then bus to Hornby or Wray and a 2 mile walk up the hill)
Website: www.middlewood.org.uk

Middlewood Trust is seeking support to help win some money from Energy Share to develop an innovative hydro-electric system ..

Water gives life on its journey to the sea and replenishes springs if its liquid crystal structure is treated with respect. Natural water loves to flow in vortices that cool, purify and energise its structure. As the water temperature approaches 4 deg C it becomes more dense and reduces in volume. This creates a suction vacuum to pull more water behind it making the flow increase in speed and accumulate energy. Funnelling the flow channel speeds up the water flow. When water has learnt to flow with a natural centripetal vortex, it takes on an imploded structure that has great healing properties for humans and the natural world. This imploded water has a large amount of energy that can be used sensitively to create a very effective hydro- electricity generator.

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Event: 16th July 2011

For people who have completed their permaculture 72-hour design course and are thinking of going on to the diploma or just want to know more.

Led by Mark Bamford and Steve Beesley

Water is essential to all life on Earth, but in our modern societies we have become detached from it and think little of it as long as it continues to flow out of the tap. This course will bring our attention to natural systems, harvesting for drinking water, and watering. We will look at water treatment and alternatives to flushing the toilet. We will examine a number of designs that can be included in design work.

Lunch will be provided each day. Bring your own food for evening meal and breakfast; cooking facilities and cutlery/crockery are available in our bunkhouse. Bunk house, yurt accommodation and camping available. Bring a sleeping bag.

Cost £80.  Book via LILI website:  http://www.lowimpact.org/middlewood_permaculture_skills4.html

July 30th and August 1st
 

This is the final in a series of four forest gardening weekends that we have organised over the last year at Middlewood Permaculture Trust on Slack Bottom Farm near Lancaster. We have had over 70 people in the garden over the previous weekends, and you are invited to come along too, and lend a helping hand in the forest garden, gain skills and knowledge, and celebrate the special time known in the ancient pagan calanders as the Lammas (or Lughnasadh) 'fire festival'.

Last summer a group of us hatched a plan to open up the forest garden, and bring about fresh energy and change. It was agreed that we would organise a series of four weekends, to co-incide with the pagan festivals: Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane, and Lughnasadh. As a result, a hardy group assembled for Samhain (Halloween) last year, and set about opening up the forest garden, making it accessible, and building a large fire pit, around which we drummed and danced under the full moon ... until the wind blew up and the rains came in!

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You are invited to Middlewood Trust near Lancaster, for a weekend of permaculture forest gardening, and to celebrate the Beltane pagan festival. Not by accident, this weekend co-incides with the Scarecrow festival in the local village of Wray, where we can join the locals in celebrating this special time of the year, with a giant scarecrow bonfire parade on Friday night and the village fayre on bank holiday Monday.
 

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