The Northern School of Permaculture

"Permaculture Design is the first system of conscious, functional, design in the world. That's its unique aspect - its functional design is sustainable."

Bill Mollison (1928- 2016)

Find out more in this short video from the originators

News, Reports, Articles, Reflections

The spring edition of "Northern Edge" is now published.  Read it here.  Full of updates, features and details of "What's on" at the Northern School.  Ask for notification of the next publication here.

Up and coming

Permaculture Design Course at Manchester Road Community Arts Centre, Bury - you can start on Saturday 18th June 2022 Read more and booking

Permaculture Design Course at Broadbottom Community Centre, Broadbottom, Hyde starts on 24 September 2022 Read more and booking

Summerbottom eco-garden workshops - Booking now. The last in the spring-summer season. Join us on the 11th of June to learn how to get started Gardening with Trees and other Perennials to create abundant and self-regulating communities of plants. On the 18th of June we will explore how we can design and plant Edible Polycultures for Autumn and Winter. 

Ecological Gardening Essential Training - Book now, to attend in summer and autumn.

In the current programme, you can learn how to get started with edible polycultures, how to embed self-watering systems in the garden that work for you and your plants, how to select the ideal composting systems for your specific needs and site, how to structure your garden with permanent planting schemes using perennials, and how to incorporate and build wormeries in your garden. Find out more and book here

Gardening for Wildlife - Booking now

A two day course to explore how to transform your garden into a safe haven for wildlife. One session in July and another in October, so you have the opportunity to work with the seasons to provide habitat for insects and small mammals. Read more and book here

Ecological Gardens Design Course - Read More

Introduction to Permaculture Design Course online - Read more 

Permaculture Design Course Online - Dates for next year coming soon. 

Details of  other events will follow. e-mail us

Catch up / complete your design course

Many of our design courses are modular - see available days.

What the students say: graduates from a previous Design Course at Chorley talk about the course:

Graduates from our 2014 PDC course at Chorley talk about their projects and how the course has helped them

Video release "Agriculture vs Permaculture" from Jack Hill featuring interviews from the Northern School.

The oldest permaculture food forest in Britain  - from our friends Graham and Nancy at Coldstream in Scotland

Our guild has links to other guilds and organisations who acknowledge the power of "open source" working:

Permaculture Research Institute - the PRI is pre-eminent coherent authority on world-wide Permaculture The PRI has accredited our Permaculture Design Certificate course (PDC) and we are seeking closer working relations with them

Permaculture Institute of North Britain - a guild of design practitioners that regulates the Northern School

Permaculture Research Institute Tap o' Noth - a PRI accredited smallholding in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

CommEnt CIC - a community interest company based in the North West of England. A supporter of our School and the North Britain Institute.

Burnley Food Links - a social enterprise providing healthy local food in the West Pennine region

Permaculture in Maurituis - projects and co-operatives from our associates in the Indian Ocean

Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) Africa - we are working with them to develop holistic training and cultural exchange across continents and climate zones

Permaculture Research Foundation Malta - originators of the key permaculture mediterranian drylands project "Bahrija Oasis"

West Pennine Permaculture - a website supporting community application of permacultur in the region around Lancashire, UK

Permaculture Association (Britain) - we are members of this charity promoting permaculture in the UK

Open Money