Dawn Houghton and Ant Smith

Plot 5

Dawn: I am an experienced permaculture student, holding the full Design Certificate and I am one year into the Diploma in Applied Permaculture.

I have been working with permaculture designs both in the UK and in France, for over 6 years, and previous to this I was a keen organic grower of herbs and tender vegetables.  I have been a no-dig grower for the last 3 seasons, using differing methods, from sheet mulching (carpet/cardboard/ plastic) to initial cultivation then heavy mulching with raised beds for the second year onwards.  I am also an experienced horsewoman, and have many years of natural animal husbandry experience, including poultry, sheep and a little knowledge of goats, pigs and cows.

I have been self-reliant for a subsistence income for several years, gaining income from a variety of sources; from hand made herbal remedies, incenses and teas, pet caring, dog training, riding tuition (qualified), garden design and maintenance, plant sales, teaching permaculture and land based skills, growing and selling seasonal vegetables and making simple wooden crafts.  As a training mentor for Garden Organic (formerly HDRA) I have been working with volunteer organic growers on community projects for 2 years, from young children to adults with physical and learning difficulties.

Ant: I am a student of permaculture due to take the full design certificate in 2008. I work with my wife, Dawn, on our permaculture plot, part time at present. I am an experienced administrator with good communication skills. I have been researching ancient English cultures in relation to land use and settlements that were following the natural season and cycles using sun and moon phases to enhance productivity and plant health. I have a particular interest in native tree species and would like to develop this further to include producing timber for crafts, fuel and rustic furniture, designing and planting a forest garden and creating hedging and wildlife areas. I will be tending our livestock and assisting Dawn with food growing.

In the workshop I will be making small wood crafts like bird/ small animal boxes, stools, walking sticks, door wedges, drying racks etc.

I have a natural love for nature & all her seasons and feel at one with the earth and the natural elements. I have a keen eye for overall visual impact and shall be maintaining our plot at Lammas with great care and respect, making sure everything is functioning correctly and is in clean and tidy condition.

Illustrative layout

In 2006 we, along with friends, set up a community co-operative in Northampton, to share land and skills with local people – www.permorganics.org.uk  this was achieved with no income, purely voluntarily, and we use all reclaimed and recycled materials to develop the 5 acre site.  The project is now one year old, and is a good model for community action.

It has long been our aim to find a supportive community to live in, so that we have a place we can truly call our home, rather than renting a house that will never be ours and having to work in a job we dislike just to bring in the high income needed for such a lifestyle – we would rather be responsible for meeting our own needs in a much simpler way; growing our food, fuel, animal feed etc… taking full responsibility for our power, water and waste and creating a land based enterprise that meets the needs for ourselves and those of local people.

We are currently living in temporary accommodation near to the community permaculture plot we help to run. We are virtually self-sufficient in our own power, collect water locally, and use composting toilets and a wood burning stove for our heating and some cooking.  Our lifestyle has been altered greatly over the past 2 years we have reduced our outgoings to well below the national average.

Our lifestyle means that we provide most of our fresh produce from our community holding, recycle only what we can’t re-use, and refuse to buy products that harm the environment in any way.

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