Growing Together

Aim

To grow and provide food for our community, promoting wellbeing through connection with each other using sustainable permaculture methods

Many thanks for reading this: 

Permaculture Kernow is made up of volunteers working together with our community. Our aim is to raise £2500 so we can continue to protect our environment, invest and plant more fruit and nut trees, improve local food security and through education connect more children, families and members of our community with nature. 

Working closely with our community and local parish councils we have spent the past 6 years working on environmental projects and community initiatives across the Rame Peninsula here in Cornwall. 

Our mission has been to create areas for social cohesion, expand outdoor learning opportunities and support food resilience within our community. We teach ways of growing food to sequester carbon, build healthy soil and support wildlife. Using our permaculture ethics of 

• Earth Care, People Care and Fair Share. 

We have designed and implemented local gardens including 

Millbrook Community Wildlife Garden & Outdoor Classroom

This area is a great space for all members of our community to meet and get involved, we meet weekly offering volunteering opportunities. We provide and deliver outdoor learning to our local primary school, helping children connect with nature, grow food and build confidence. We teach children about self resilience, foraging, growing food, cooking outside on a fire, pressing apple juice and connecting with nature. 

Our new outdoor classroom will also offer an area for other community groups to meet and hold workshops. Millbrook Community garden is a wonderful space supporting wildlife, vegetable beds, water collection systems, a Poly tunnel and a forest fruit orchard. 

Review:

“Permaculture Kernow have spent the past few years creating a community garden here at Millbrook school. They have worked as a team of committed volunteers with local families to enable the school and community to benefit from a really diverse and interesting space including a polytunnel, shed and areas for growing fruit and vegetables.”

Ruth Belton Millbrook School

Maker with Rame Community Orchard

In 2022 we planted and continue to care for a variety of fruit trees incorporating permaculture-based watering systems to tackle the effects of climate change.  We have built effective high fence tree protection as we have a large deer population that visit on a regular basis. The orchard has a small pond and we scythe leaving wild areas; creating habitat for voles and mice, we have seen the return of the barn owl. Our local playgroups love to visit the orchard, spot the range of biodiversity and pick and eat fruit. 

Review:

Kingfisher Playgroup and Rame Peninsula Wild Learners children absolutely love going up to the Maker with Rame Community Orchard. It is very accessible, being so close and there’s so much for them to explore. This Autumn we have had many visits to harvest apples. The children loved seeing  the trees that have grown with them, originally planted with their families. We’ve pressed the apples and made all sorts of delicious treats together. It’s  such a valuable part of their learning to have this connection with where food comes from and couldn’t get much more locally sourced. They’ve also loved exploring all the different habitats that have been nurtured in the orchard providing homes for a wide variety of wildlife. We are so grateful to have such a wonderful orchard to explore and learn from.

Helen Parker -  Early Years Practitioner

Penntorr Health Centre Well-being Garden Torpoint

We’ve designed and implemented a therapeutic garden planting lavender, herbs, wild meadow areas, fruit trees and colourful raised beds This area is regularly used by staff, patients, and doctors as a wellbeing and teaching space. 

Review: 

When the Patient Participation Group wanted to make a Wellbeing Garden for the NHS Penntorr Practice in Torpoint, Permaculture Kernow were instrumental in the design, build and maintenance of the beautiful space which is now used daily by staff and patients alike. This garden has also won an NHS award and featured in GP Journal. Thank you Permaculture Kernow

 Abigail Wilson - Chair of the PPG. 

Millbrook Community Orchard 

We are planning this Autumn and Winter to plant a variety of fruit and nut trees around Millbrook park so in years to come our community will be able to  pick fruit and nuts.  As this was previously a land fill site we will create bunds, berms, swales and replenish with soil and compost to provide healthy planting areas. 

Cawsand Community Garden

This is in the pipeline. A new area with fruit trees, herb garden, seating area and raised beds, creating a space for all ages of the community, including pre school children to meet and share in growing and harvesting. Creating more shade is vital now we are experiencing dry summers so planting more fruit and nut trees will help to mitigate this problem. 

With your help we can continue our work, take on more opportunities, design more areas and help others grow food, plant orchards and create areas for social cohesion. 

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made