Permaculture Scotland Gathering 2015 | Permaculture Association

The Permaculture Scotland 2015 gathering was held at the ScotLAND Centre, Tombreck on Loch Tayside in Perthshire. Feedback included:

“Thanks soooo much for a wonderful weekend. ... As an outsider I felt so very welcome and learned so much. I'm inspired to make great things happen.”

WORKSHOPS & GENERAL MEETING

Inspired by our Irish neighbours, in 2015 we decided to have an entirely open space workshop agenda,which meant that what workshop would happen when was agreed on the session together. This photo shows the agenda.

"The workshops were inspirational! John Buck

It was a great event for people of all ages. The older children had a special place they loved exploring in Tombreck which is where some workshops were happening, this led a diverse workshop with children participating with the adults learning about wool, spinning and more generally clothes. It was a wonderful example of integrate rather than segregate.

VENUE

Tombreck was a great venue for this gathering. It is very rural being a hill farm on the north side of Loch Tay in Perthshire. The farm takes the form of a long, narrow strip running from the slopes of Ben Lawers to the Loch Tay shore divided by the A827. 10 years ago a diversification project, (Tombreck Action Group) started which aimed to maintain the farm as a working farm, while diversifying into other activities, which would include other people as well as providing housing and employment at a sustainable level. There are now 8 self-built eco-homes, (a mix of owner-occupied and rented social housing) with gardens, domestic polytunnels and greenhouses, as well as a small scale market-garden project.

The Cart Shed Studio was re-built using timber harvested from the SSSI woodland, which forms part of the farm. This houses an architect’s studio and a Farm Shop. The Big Shed is an award winning community building, which was funded by the Big Lottery, Carbon Trust and the Climate Challenge Fund. The water supply comes from the local burn and sewage is processed in a self-built reed-bed system. Farm activities are small-scale vegetable production, potatoes, poultry, pig rearing, woodland management and using horses for timber extraction in the sensitive SSSI. Tombreck is not an intentional community in the sense of having rules and values to which all members subscribe. Despite this or perhaps because of it, there is a sense of community.