Permaculture: Earth Build Community Camp

Weaving regenerative theory into practice

Mentored by

Ed Dale-Harris of SAWA

Location address: Fairlight, TN35 4EA
Chosen age group:

For ages: 18+ years

Available tickets:
High Waged £150Medium Waged £110Low Waged £70
Next date: None - message Mentor to express interest
A summary
An immersive 2 day regenerative experience: Learning Permaculture and Natural Building Ever wondered what it would be like to live in an ecologically minded, permaculture-inspired regenerative community? You can get a taste! SAWA are welcoming you to a 2 day weekend workshop where we will blend theory and practice to offer you a holistic experience of community living! Together we will make a Wattle and Daub Wall, (made from Clay, Sand, Straw and Willow) for Hélène and Stephen's new Stonelynk Organic workshop and bothy (designed by SAWA Architects). Roundwood Design have done the technical design and delivery of this new farm building - the timber frame should be up by the end of the summer. Eek... can't wait to see! This weekend will seek to bring you a deeper understanding of Permaculture through understanding partaking in an onsite community, practicing earth building and growing. We will be carrying out the teaching elements of the weekend in the beautiful farm environment, alongside Stonelynk's up and coming roundwood structure. Learn how to create these stunning natural structures whilst living and breathing the natural farm way of life, a wonderful way to absorb all this knowledge. Actives: * Introduction to Permaculture, studying the Ethics and Principles and their applications * Awareness Exercises - Observation of self, breath and body, feeling the surrounding elements: Earth, Fire, Wind and Water! * Willow: coppicing, harvesting, planting, weaving, wattle and substructure making * Learn how to source clay for use in building * Getting our hands into the clay, learning about the different clay mixes for building plaster and blocks * Make some cob balls, adobe bricks and wattle and daub walls * Have fun, relax, bath in nature, connect with the land, and receive mother earth's wisdom. This weekend is all about reveling in the wisdom of the Earth, discovering incredibly intelligent + intuitive design that we can begin to incorporate in our lives. Expect lots of fun and laughter, getting our hands mucky and leaving with some awesome knowledge of natural building, permaculture and ancient indigenous wisdom. This will be a wonderfully community spirited project - come join us! LED by Ed at SAWA: https://sawa-architecture.org/ HOSTED at Hélène + Stephen at Stonelynk Organics: www.stonelynkorganics.com In context the contractor of the workshop structure, which will be just finished on site is Roundwood Design: https://www.roundwooddesign.co.uk/
About your mentor
Ed Dale-Harris of SAWA
Permaculture Designer, Architect + Meditator
ARB Architect, Edward Dale-Harris believes we must look beyond sustainability and take the shift towards learning how live in line with nature as part of a regenerative culture. We have to change our destructive behaviour patterns and to heal the soils an become a steward of the land. We soon realises that when we heal the land, we soon learn to heal ourselves. We take responsibility for our own ‘self-directed learning’ to build our own self reliance, wellness and confidence. Growing in love and togetherness we learn to share resources, let go of instincts to fight and competitive mode, coming into love and sharing to create a healthier planet for all. Ed realises the importance of a mindfulness approach to regenerative design, using nature as our teacher, and valuing a collective and collaborative decision-making process for a grounded and successful project. He is on a mission to introduce others to socially, environmentally and mindful architecture and to keep his learnings at a fair cost to enable all people from all walks of life and be truly inclusive. Ed qualified as an Architect in 2017 and has gained many awards for his design, commitment, vision, compassion, charity work, environmental projects and peace building developments. In 2014 Ed founded SAWA with Enock Ruziga in Rwanda whilst working together on the 'a house for a victim' project. In 2015 Ed received the ‘RIBA North West London Society Award’ at the CASS Design School for this project, nominated as the best live and community engaged project. Ed spent eight weeks on site building a compressed earth block (CEB) house with recently-released prisoners and some of the families of their victims. The project was instigated by Ed and the Ntarama House Building Cooperative, to facilitate development and peace-building in post genocide Rwanda. The cooperative was set up by REACH, a local reconciliation focused charity, to help reintegrate perpetrators back into their community, by enabling them to build homes for victims of the genocide. This profound experience and research propelled the work of SAWA into the world of socially, environmental and mindful architecture. Ed has grown SAWA, into a collective of freelance professionals and a pro-bono network of supporters. The structure is flat, it has no hierarchy, each project is discussed openly and relationships and roles are defined on a project basis which meet the specific needs and constraints of each project. Ed has collaborated with a range of community groups, individuals, charities, private businesses and professionals to deliver the best holistic well rounded result, fair to the environment and all. In 2016 Ed received the ‘RIBAJ Rising Star 2016 Cohort Award’ for We Yone School in the Ebola-affected region of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Enabling 180 of the most vulnerable children in the community to attend primary school and provide a community space for adult learning. WYCF, the client, which nominated him for the RIBAJ award, says: ‘Ed demonstrated a commitment to the charity’s mission and vision that made it very easy to entrust him with a great deal of responsibility. Ed would deliver design iterations while involving other experts to improve overall robustness (rammed earth consultants, pro bono volunteers from international engineering companies and partners from architectural firms)... he conducted workshops with men, women and children and the community’s vision became firmly embedded in the design. He adapted to... poor internet, uncompetitive contracting, bad weather, language barriers, variable conceptions of time, etc.’ In 2019 Ed received ‘The Agri Tech Centre AJ100 Best Collaboration of the Year Award’ with Squire and Partners, with the judges describing it as ‘an exceptional example of architectural practices doing charitable work in the developing world’. Ed has spent a large amount of time volunteering his skills in Rwanda and Mozambique, while seeing festivals as an opportunity to be socially active and experimental in the UK. Delivering projects in challenging environments: post '14 Ebola Sierra Leone, post genocide '94 Rwanda and '79 Cambodia and post '15 earthquake Nepal. Working closely with international and grassroots organisations to deliver appropriate and considered results.
Important Details...
ACCOMMODATION: Campers - There are 10 Camping spots max on the farm site, so book early and message us to reserve your spot. Campers may arrive Friday eve from 5pm to set up. Bring your own tent, sleeping bags and bedding etc. There are some camper van parking spots too. Locals - living in Hastings and Fairlight are encouraged to walk or cycle to the farm each day, there are some car parking spots for those traveling from nearby towns. FACILITIES There is compost loo and urinal facilities at the campsite, but no showers, we suggest you use a solar shower bag or hose pipe to freshen up. FOOD We will be eating: StoneLynk organic vegetables and salads straight from the farm beneath your feet, beans and grains from Hodmedods British Organic Suppliers. As well as some delicious local foraged leaves seeds, fruits and flowers. Break-fast - Porridge, with fruits, nuts, seeds, flowers and spices to top Lunch - Root Veg Kitchari Inspired Curry, Grains and Bean, Fresh Stonelynk Foraged Garden Salad. Dinner - Self organised, we suggest an Early Light Dinner, to encourage full digestion of food, deeper sleep and general wellness and a sparkly morning start, There are shops in town, bring your own. Forage a wild weed soup from site, there may be leftovers. A range of herbal teas and dandelion coffee will be served, if you require sugar or caffeinated drinks please bring your own. All food (as best we can) will be Organic, Local, British, Vegan, Gluten and Sugar free. Meals will be nutritionally balanced to provide an exquisite experience for your tastebuds as well as filling your bellies and giving you plenty of energy for the teaching days. Please advise us of any dietary requirements so preparations can be made in advance. You may need to bring supplements if you have specific requirements. INCLUSION We would like to make sure this opportunity is available to all people from all backgrounds, wealth, ethnicity, gender, sex, sexuality, identity, ability etc. If you wish to attend and have any barriers of concern please do not hesitate to get in contact, so we can try our best to facilitate. This course is open to 18 years and up. If you have a child and you want to bring them along, please contact us and see if we can accommodate. PLEASE DO BRING :-) *A mug, bowl, spoon, and water bottle *Loppers, mini axe, machete, bill hook, or other hand towels for coppicing willow - we have a few but not enough *A camping chair, unless you don't mind sitting on the ground! *The right kit for the weather - Waterproof, jumper, sun cream, shorts, hat, outdoor footwear, barefoot is welcome too etc *Optional - Gloves if you are not use to outdoor physical hand work *An open mind and a full heart CONDUCT We ask you to practice being a sensible sovereign independent mindful being living in the present moment. Please take care of yourself and others around you when working in a group. By signing up to join this workshop, you are agreeing to take your own AND collective responsibility for our health and well being, do not do things you are uncomfortable doing, look, listen and live. Together we thrive. If you have any concerns let the teacher / mentor/ assistant know straight away. STAY CONNECTED There is a SAWA Workshop WhatsApp, Telegram and Email group you can request to join. https://sawa-architecture.org/contact
Learning aims
Aim 1
Take a mind shift to understand the natural regenerative principles for healing soil, soul and society.
Aim 2
Learn Permaculture Design, Principles and Ethics,
Aim 3
Gain confidence, embodied learning of natural materials for future self build projects.
Flow of the Two Days
Morning Body breath movement session - 8 - 9am. Breakfast Break - 9-10am Check in Circle - 10am Theory One - (Introduction Permaculture, Saturday + Regenerative Culture Sunday) Break Pause ( Herbal Teas + Water) Practical One - 11am - 1pm - (Willow, Saturday + Clay, Sunday) Lunch Break 1 - 2pm - (Provided: Vegan Curry + Garden Salad) Theory Two 2 - 3pm Break Pause 3 - 3.30 pm (Herbal Teas + Water) Practical Two - 3.30 - 5 pm (Willow, Saturday + Clay, Sunday) Relax time is your own, walk the farm Early Light Super - 6pm ( self organised) The evening is your own - you can make campfires, sing songs and story telling welcome. *Timing is approximate and the structure is fluid and may shift ... go with the flow:-)
Pricing information
Ticket nameHigh Waged
Price£150
InformationIncome over £50,271 pa Inline with UK Gov. tax brackets
Ticket nameMedium Waged
Price£110
InformationIncome £12,571 to £50,270 pa Inline with UK Gov. tax brackets
Ticket nameLow Waged
Price£70
InformationIncome up to £12,570 pa Inline with UK Gov. tax brackets
PHOTO GALLERY
Where we'll be
Battery Hill, Fairlight, East Sussex, TN35 4EA
WHAT’S PROVIDED
Drinks
Meals
Equipment
Safety
Basic DBS
Risk Assessment
Public Liability Insurance
First Aid Training
First Aid Kit

Please note

Please note, it is the responsibility of the booker to satisfy themselves about the adequacy of the safety measures. This platform is merely an introducer and does not verify the items listed here.

Cancellation Policy
Cancel more than two weeks before the start to receive a full refund.

My experience is an educational activity and the 14-day cooling-off period under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 therefore applies. After the 14 day period my standard policy will apply.