Adult Courses
Our courses and workshops in green living, rural skills and bushcraft take place in our beautiful learning Centre in the Hampshire South Downs, near Petersfield. We are proud to host a range of excellent tutors, including renowned permaculture teachers: Aranya, Morag Gamble and Caroline Aitken; Forest School pioneer, Jon Cree; bushcraft and nature connection leaders: Jonathon Huet and Jamie Corry; medicinal herb experts and a host of highly skilled craft teachers.
2019 |
May
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Willow Obelisks
£35 Wednesday 29th May 2019 10:00 - 13:00 Tutor: Louise Arthur |
Fully Booked
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Willow weaving training course in the Hampshire South Downs. Experience the delights of creating a support for climbing plants like sweet peas or green beans. If time allows we will also make willow hurdles for herb borders. Come with enough space to transport your work home and plant up your creation into a pot or straight into the ground.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Willow Dragonflies and Fish
£35 Wednesday 29th May 2019 14:00 - 17:00 Tutor: Louise Arthur |
Fully Booked
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On this training course in the Hampshire South Downs, you will learn how to weave a dragonfly in a spiral 'corn dolly' weave in brown willow and how to make a wishing fish with a 'figure of eight' weave. This course follows a morning course on making a willow obelisk, so there is the option of attending two different willow craft courses in one day. .
Accommodation availability and prices. |
June
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Cordial Making
£65 Saturday 8th June 2019 10:00 - 16:30 Tutors: Jill and Ian Sainsbury |
Fully Booked
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Learn how to make tasty drinks from hedgerow ingredients on this cordial making course. Our tutors will guide you around our beautiful Education Centre in the heart of the South Downs, teaching you to identify and forage tasty ingredients from our local hedgerows. The class will then move into the kitchen where you will prepare and turn your delicious ingredients into syrup to take home.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Blacksmithing Weekend
£260 Saturday 8th to Sunday 9th June 2019 10:00 - 16:30 Tutor: Joe Tyler |
Fully Booked
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An exciting weekend discovering the traditional art of blacksmithing, this course will teach you to create your own products including jewellery, intricate candle sticks, fire pokers or paper weights from reclaimed metal material.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Clay Oven
£100 Saturday 15th June 2019 09:30 - 16:00 Tutor: Dr. Sara Collins |
Fully Booked
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Learn the techniques to build a clay oven at our beautiful site in the Hampshire South Downs. Participants will learn how to construct the oven from builder’s sand, clay, wood shavings and bricks. The course includes a pizza meal cooked in a completed cob oven.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Foraging, Fire and Folklore
£20 Wednesday 19th June 2019 18:00 - 20:00 Tutor: Jonathan Huet |
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A special evening experience of wild food foraging, Celtic fire and storytelling. Bushcraft and Celtic folklore specialist, Jonathon Huet, will take you on a guided walk to forage for wild food and impart his knowledge on different native trees in each season. The walk will end with a primitive fire-lighting demonstration.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Kitchen Gardening
£135 Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd June 09:30 - 17:30 £135 for one weekend or £240 for both weekends (non-residential) Tutor: Caroline Aitken |
Fully Booked
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A seasonal weekend course on creating and managing a successful and abundant food garden. The course will include hands-on practical sessions and all the theory you need to make your kitchen garden grow and keep your larder full.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
July
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Forest School Taster Day
£50 Tuesday 2nd July 2019 10:00 - 14:30 Tutor: Victoria Primrose |
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An experience day for teachers and parents to give a taste of the Forest School approach to learning in our beautiful woodland site in the Hampshire South Downs. Have a go at fire lighting, den building, tool use, plus other woodland crafts and activities. Find out how Forest School supports children and adults of all abilities to learn in the outdoors.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Medicinal Herb Workshop
Bolster your Body: Leaves and late flowers £20 Wednesday 10th July 2019 18:00 - 20:00 Tutor: Sarah Hillyer |
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Bolster your Body will take place in July as your body requires strengthening. The leaves and flowers you find on this summer course will help to strengthen bodily systems such as your gut, heart and lymphatic system.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Roundwood Timber Framing
£410 Tuesday 16th - Friday 19th July 2019 09:30 - 17:00 Tutors: Dylan Walker and Paddy Cox |
Fully Booked
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The first part of two hands-on courses in building with roundwood timber using traditional tools and techniques, working with local wood sourced from our site. The courses can be booked individually for an introduction to roundwood timber framing, or they can be bought together for a deeper learning outcome. The second course will take place in September.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Deer Butchery
£150 Wednesday 24th July 2019 09:30 - 16:30 Tutor: Ian Gosling |
Fully Booked
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A whole deer in a day course - learn butchery and cookery skills on this intimate, 4-person training course in the Hampshire South Downs. We promise you the most delicious, melt-in-the-mouth meat that you will have ever tasted, all prepared by your own fair hands.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Clay Oven Building
£100 Friday 26th July 2019 09:30 - 16:00 Tutor: Dr. Sara Collins |
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Learn the techniques to build a clay oven at our beautiful site in the Hampshire South Downs. Participants will learn how to construct the oven from builder’s sand, clay, wood shavings and bricks. The course includes a pizza meal cooked in a completed cob oven.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
August
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Blacksmithing Two Day
£260 Thursday 15th & Friday 16th August 2019 10:00 - 16:30 Tutor: Joe Tyler |
Fully Booked
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An exciting two days discovering the traditional art of blacksmithing, this course will teach you to create your own products including jewellery, intricate candle sticks, fire pokers or paper weights from reclaimed metal material.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Deer Butchery
£150 Friday 16th August 2019 09:30 - 16:30 Tutor: Ian Gosling |
Fully Booked
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A whole deer in a day course - learn butchery and cookery skills on this intimate, 4-person training course in the Hampshire South Downs. We promise you the most delicious, melt-in-the-mouth meat that you will have ever tasted, all prepared by your own fair hands.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Gate Hurdles
£85 Thursday 29th August 2019 09:30 - 17:00 Tutor: Phil Clayton |
Fully Booked
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Learn traditional wood carving techniques to make your own sweet chestnut gate hurdle on this one day course in the Hampshire South Downs. Using a shavehorse and other traditional hand tools including drawknife, twybil, brace, side axe and hammer, you will learn to create your own hurdles, which you will take home with you.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
September
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Roundwood Timber Framing
£410 Monday 2nd - Thursday 5th September 09:30 - 17:00 Tutors: Dylan Walker and Paddy Cox |
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A hands-on course in building with roundwood timber with traditional tools and techniques, working with local wood sourced from our site. During this 4 day course, you will be laying out roof rafters and braces to a roundwood timber cruck frame using winter felled wood, finishing with a standing frame.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Clay Oven £100 Saturday 14th September 2019 09:30 - 16:00 Tutor: Dr. Sara Collins |
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Learn the techniques to build a clay oven at our beautiful site in the Hampshire South Downs. Participants will learn how to construct the oven from builder’s sand, clay, wood shavings and bricks. The course includes a pizza meal cooked in a completed cob oven.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Jam and Chutney Making
£65 Saturday 14th September 2019 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Jill & Ian Sainsbury |
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Learn how to make delicious preserves from foraged and home grown ingredients on this training course in the Hampshire South Downs. We will make a chutney and a fruit jam on the course and participants will be able to get hands-on with every stage of the process.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Foraging, Fire and Folklore
£20 Wednesday 18th September 2019 18:00 - 20:00 Tutor: Jonathan Huet |
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A special evening experience of wild food foraging, Celtic fire and storytelling. Bushcraft and Celtic folklore specialist, Jonathon Huet, will take you on a guided walk to forage for wild food and impart his knowledge on different native trees in each season. The walk will end with a primitive fire-lighting demonstration.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Introduction to Permaculture Design
£300 Friday 27th - Monday 30th September 09:30 - 17:30 Tutor: Aranya Refreshments and lunch included |
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This course is designed to introduce Permaculture principles but with an emphasis on supporting participants with designing their own homes and gardens. Our expert tutuor, Aranya, will cover the key principles of Permaculture design theory and how we can apply them in redesigning our homes and gardens to be both more sustainable and abundant.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Spoon Carving
£65 Saturday 28th September 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Jonathan Huet Hot drinks included |
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Learn how to carve a spoon, spatula and butter knife on this wood carving course in the Hampshire South Downs. Our tutor, Jonathan Huet, will teach you how to use a knife, saw, crook knife and axe to whittle items from locally harvested green wood.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
October
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Children in Permaculture Training Course
£60-245 based on income Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th October 09:30 - 16:30 Tutor: Lusi Alderslowe & Rakesh Rootsman Rak Refreshments included |
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A weekend permaculture course for parents, grandparents, teachers and others to engage children in all aspects of permaculture. Composed of both indoor and outdoor sessions we will learn how permaculture ethics and principles can be applied to education, in how we speak, the activities we engage in and in the spaces we design.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Forest School Leader Training (Level 3)
£1,170 Starts Wednesday 23rd October 2019 Tutor: Adrian Goodhand |
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Our Forest School Leader training is run over a number of months with a small training group in our beautiful woodland setting. Our training offers an optimum combination of practical and tool skills, woodland and ecological management, leadership and risk evaluation and the application of learning theory.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Forest School Assistant Training (Level 2)
£600 Mon 28th October to Fri 1st November 2019 Tutor: Adrian Goodhand |
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Train to be a Forest School Assistant in our beautiful woodland setting, with experienced Forest School Trainer, Adrian Goodhand.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Willow Frame Basket
£75 Thursday 31st October 10:00 - 17:00 Tutor: Louise Arthur Refreshments included |
Fully Booked
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Willow weaving training course in the Hampshire South Downs. Participants will make a hand woven gypsy style frame basket from sustainable locally grown willow. Use your basket for gathering berries, mushrooms, eggs, herbs or displaying treasures.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
November
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Unwind in the Woods:
A day of whittling and meditation £70 Saturday 9th November 2019 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Jonathan Huet Hot drinks and campfire cooked lunch included |
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Combining meditation and an introduction to basic whittling techniques, this workshop will give you the time and space to get away from a hectic everyday life and connect with nature. You will be guided to fully engage your senses in the relaxing skill of wood carving. Following a warming campfire cooked lunch, you will visit one of our yurts for a meditation session incorporating woodland folklore.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Natural Cosmetics
One Day: £65 Both days: £120 Saturday 9th November 2019 - One Space Sunday 10th November 2019 - Fully Booked 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Dee Dade Refreshments included |
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Come spend the weekend learning how to make natural everyday beauty/bathroom products from ingredients you can find in your kitchen cupboards, herb gardens and amongst the hedgerows. We will be making a variety of products including balms, oils, hair conditioner and toothpaste. Products that are kind to you, the earth, reduce single-use plastic and will save you pennies. Perfect to make for yourself or to give as gifts.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Hand-Sewn Book Making Course
£55 Saturday 16th November 2019 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Angela Thames |
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Make your own notebook, sketchbook or unique gift book, using three different hand-sewing techniques. You will take home 2-3 books made from decorative paper and card such as postcards, notecards, envelopes, packets and old calendars.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Willow Garden Sculpture Course
£75 Friday 22nd November 2019 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Amanda Rayner |
Fully Booked
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Decorate your home or garden with a willow sculpture of your choice! Learn how to willow weave any nature-inspired object be it dragonfly, heart, cat, dog, chicken, pheasant, obelisk or simple garden decoration.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Deer Butchery
£150 Friday 29th November 2019 09:30 - 16:30 Tutor: Jamie Corry |
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A whole deer in a day course - learn butchery and cookery skills on this intimate, 4-person training course in the Hampshire South Downs. We promise you the most delicious, melt-in-the-mouth meat that you will have ever tasted, all prepared by your own fair hands.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
December
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Festive Willow Courses
£35 Friday 6th December 2019 10:00 - 12:30 or 13:30 - 16:00 Tutor: Louise Arthur |
Fully Booked
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Two festive willow half-day craft workshops - learn to make willow Christmas trees and rush reindeer or wreaths and stars.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
2020
January
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Eco-refurbishment
£50 Saturday 11th January 2020 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor:Sally Mareike |
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Learn to make your home more healthy, eco-friendly and economical on this one-day course. You will learn how to use low-tech and natural options to refurbish your space.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Coppicing
£75 Friday 24th January 2020 09:30 - 16:30 Tutor: Les Brannon |
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This course will give you practical, hands on experience in the traditional art of coppicing. You will work on a section of hazel woodland here at the Sustainability Centre which is being coppiced as part of a wider woodland management plan to undertake conservation work on site.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Hedgelaying
£75 Friday 7th February 2020 09:30 - 16:30 Tutor: Les Brannon |
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You will gain practical, hands on experience in the ancient art of hedgelaying (South of England style). A local hedge will be laid using traditional tools i.e. billhook, broad axe and hand saws. The stock proof barrier created will then be trimmed by hand and secured with stakes and top binding.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Willow Obelisks (afternoon)
£35 Thursday 20th February 2020 14:00 - 17:00 Tutor: Louise Arthur |
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Experience the delights of creating a support for climbing plants like sweet peas or green beans. Come with enough space to transport your work home and plant up your creation into a pot or straight into the ground.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Kitchen Gardening
£135 Sat 14th - Sun 15th Mar 2020 09:30 - 17:30 Tutor: Caroline Aitken |
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The first of two seasonal weekend courses on creating and managing a successful and abundant food garden. This weekend course will include hands-on practical sessions together with the theory you need to make your kitchen garden grow and keep your larder full. The next weekend is June 20th-21st.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Spoon Carving
£65 Wednesday 18th March 2020 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Jonathon Huet |
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On this green woodwork course, learn to use a knife, saw, crook knife and axe to carve a spoon, spatula and butter knife from a locally harvested tree. This course will cover tool maintenance through to those important finishing touches.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Woodland Folklore
£60 Tuesday 14th April 2020 10:00 - 16:00 Tutor: Jonathon Huet |
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On this one day introduction course, discover the spiritual practices of the Celtic Bard: stories, poems, woodland traditions and meditation. This unique course will take you through an in-depth exploration of the trees, plants, landscape and seasons.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
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Kitchen Gardening
£135 Sat 20th - Sun 21st June 2020 09:30 - 17:30 Tutor: Caroline Aitken |
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A weekend course on creating and managing a successful and abundant food garden. The course will include hands-on practical sessions and all the theory you need to make your kitchen garden grow and keep your larder full. From crop planning to soil care, pest control to storing produce, Caroline will show you environmentally friendly and sustainable ways of growing your own food.
Accommodation availability and prices. |
