I support people, groups and organisations, bringing them more into their power and creativity by using Permaculture Design and the wisdom of the 8 Shields Map of regenerative culture.
I left the community in 2007, and trained to become a Permaculture teacher, apprenticing with the wonderful Aranya Gardens. I was awarded my Permaculture Dipoma in 2007, and started running my own PDCs in 2012. I have led Permaculture courses in Greece, Sweden, UK, Portugal, Jamaica, Cyprus, Finland and Denmark.
I have been very involved with People Permaculture – exploring ways to expand the use of Permaculture, using its principles and design to support our relationships, groups, families, organisations and personal growth. I worked with Looby MacNamara, author of ‘People and Permaculture’ and ‘Cultural Emergence’ between 2013 and 2016, leading Facilitator Trainings and Design courses on this.
In 2011 i attended my first 8 Shields event, run in Scotland, and I found so much rich wisdom for creating whole lives, supportive culture and powerful people. I felt my heart blow more open in that field of music, elders, mentoring, games, stories and nature connection. I started training with the 8 Shields Institute, and attending as many courses as i could, including the Art of Mentoring Leadership online 9 month course, I started bringing its principles and techniques into my Permaculture courses – a natural fit!
In 2015 my partner Rebecca Card and I ran the first ‘ Nature Culture Regeneration’ 8 Shields introduction weekend on Dartmoor, co-designed with Robin Bowman, Linda Lemieux and Emily Fawcett. We have run this course many times since then, and it also sometimes includes a wild ‘Return’ program that has people disappearing into the woods for the weekend, scouting and foraging and connecting deeply with the land. We also run ‘Bringing it Home’ together, a year long course journey to help root 8 Shields wisdom and practices in people’s lives, families, communities and work.
The Art of Mentoring (AoM) camps have deeply supported me in my becoming, and when the team organising them stepped back after the 2014 AoM, i stepped up to help starting them going again. In 2017 I lead-organised a successful AoM camp on Dartmoor – one of the highlights of my life so far. I was also part of the triad that brought together the 2019 UK AoM at Falkland, Scotland.
I have led Nature Culture Regeneration weekends in other countries too, using it to support regional networks to grow and develop their own capacity to run events and train people.
I am part of the team running ‘Nature Culture Network‘ a UK based network that serves the UK and beyond, sharing the 8 Shields map and the wholistic, connective culture it fosters.
A major passion for me these days is ‘Wilding’ – creating more space and possibility for the rest of life to thrive at this time of ecological die off and climate instability. I am learning and sharing ways we can support the bees, goldfinches, wrens, hedgehogs, foxes, oak trees, dragonflies, honeysuckle, hay meadows and so many other beings that I love so much. The tide of life is receding and I want to find ways to slow that down, and be in a deep relationship with the rest of nature whatever happens.
Life and LovesI love singing and music, and i have self recorded 2 albums of acoustic songs. I enjoy running in the woods and moors, wild swimming and visiting new places.
I am deeply grateful for my hobbit-cottage home on a Dartmoor farm and my partner Rebecca who i share it with, and for all the wildlife that lives around us, especially the birds, weaving through our lives in delightful and surprising ways each season.