Urban Permaculture projects are of vital importance as we move towards a future where energy and resources will be limited. Every Urban Permaculture project should act as a hub to deliver training to local people, such as low impact food production, alternative building methods and water conservation and sanitation, as it is these skill areas that will help us to thrive and survive during the transition period from fossil fuel dependency to a low energy world of the future. The Offshoots Permaculture project is a great example of a community hubb that supports the local community whilst working with sound ecological framework

History

The Offshoots Permaculture project inBurnleyis based in a former walled kitchen garden of Towneley Hall. The project began in 1997 when local enthusiasts took the site over and delivered an introduction to Permaculture course for people living locally. A Project committee was subsequently formed and the gardens reconstruction as a Permaculture site began In 2002, Groundwork East Lancashire Trust (now Groundwork Pennine Lancashire Trust) was invited to manage the site on behalf of the voluntary management committee. The Trust then secured funding to support staff and activities on site.

Projects at Offshoots

As Permaculture promotes and perpetuates diversity, so too does Offshoots, this is reflected in the different areas of work that the project engages with and facilitates. Offshoots has teamed up with Pennine Lancashire Community Farm, statutory health and social care services and third sector organisations, to create aconsortium to deliver a wide range of eco therapy activities to people suffering from mental health issues, these therapies include: Growing your own food, bee keeping, woodland management, and local food – cooking, selecting and foraging. Offshoots also has a resident Green wood worker (Bodger) who delivers green wood work training and makes Yurts using locally sourced materials. The project is also working to re-introduce the black honey bee, which is indigenous to theBurnleyarea. The Offshoots site itself houses a great many varieties of flowers both annual and perennial, which are in place to attract the bees and other pollinators. The project also makes Bach flower remedies and runs courses teaching local people how to make their own.

Offshoots, a project of the future?

As I touched upon at the beginning of this piece, projects like Offshoots offer us the opportunity to learn the types of skills needed to survive and thrive in a future of less resources and power. The more that people are aware of these new skills and learn them, the more these skills will return to local communities to regenerate and reinvigorate them. Urban Permaculture projects like Offshoots are needed in all of our towns and cities and indeed there has been an escalation of the opening of centres and projects opening over the last two decades as people and communities respond to the challenge of an uncertain future.

Steve – Permanent Culture Now