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28/10/94
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yn gyntaf, diolch yn fawr iawn i chi am y caniatad i fyw ar Dir Penrhos Isaf a gawson ni yn 1992. Rydan ni wedi cael y cyfle i ddysgu llawer mwy am sut i ddefnyddio technegau Amaeth Parhaol, (Permaculture), yn y lleoliad yma. Mae'n llawer gwell bod yma, yn agos at ein anifeiliaid a'r ardd ac mae wedi bod yn help anferth gwneud pethau heb golli amser, ynni ac arian yn teithio yn 0l ag ymlaen dwywaith bob dydd.
Rydan ni wedi nodi manylion pellach am ein gwaith ni yn ystod y dair blynedd ddiwethaf AR y tudalennau amgaeedig, yn saesneg, ond mi hoffen ni ddweud rhybeth amdanynt yn iaith yr ardal lle 'dan ni'n byw.
Rydan ni yn meddwl ei bod yn argyfwng gwaeth ychwanegu AR y ffermwyr a'r cymunedau lleol erbyn hyn, efo'r bosibilrwydd o grantiau yn cael eu newid neu yn cael eu diddymu. Rydan ni'n meddwl ei bod yn anghenrheidiol i brofi gwahanol ffyrdd o fyw AR y tir, heb gymhorthdal, mewn dull sydd yn cryfhau hen draddodiadau a chymeriad yr ardal.
Felly rydan ni'n tyfu ein bwyd ein hunain, cymaint ag sy'n bosib, sef ffrwythau, llysiau, llaeth a chig. Rydan ni yn ffeirio nwyddau a gwasanaethau efo pobl yn y cymuned lleol a rhannu'r diwylliant byw. 'Dan ni yn tynnu arian at yr ardal yma drwy cwrsau a gwerthiadau planhigion. Rydan ni yn arbed ynni ac yn codi cyflog sydd yn ddigon dda i ni yn byw yn cysurus.
Felly rydan ni yn gofyn i chi adnewyddu ein caniatad cynllunio, os gwelwch yn dda. Diolch yn fawr am eich amser. (Mae'n ddrwg geni am camgymeriadau yn yr Gymraeg.)
Yr eiddoch yn gywir,
Chris, Lyn and Sam Dixon
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many thanks for giving us the opportunity to live here for the last three years. Living on the holding has provided us with invaluable experience and the chance to further demonstrate various aspects of permaculture; we very much appreciate it.
We feel that Permaculture Design, with its emphasis on building from local traditions, still offers the clearest model of sustainable development that we have today and is in complete agreement with Local Agenda 21 and the Rio Summit. We see a sustainable holding as providing for most of the basic needs of the occupiers, (such as food and fuel), in ways which are beneficial to the environment and increase our environmental resources; that a sustainable system should generate sufficient income for a modest but comfortable lifestyle without the need to commute to work; that the occupiers of the holding should be actively involved in the the local community through friendship, trade, work and celebration. As one of the first sustainable projects in the country, we are very grateful for your support.
We moved from our rented house to Tir Penrhos Isaf in February of 1992 after receiving the temporary permission and have been implementing the design which we presented to you with our original application. A brief outline of our progress is given below. A series of maps have also been included to demonstrate this progress graphically.
Initially we continued to generate income through part- time local work, largely in Abergeirw, Llanfachreth and Ganllwyd. This included carpentry for farmers and other locals, farm work, (which also served to increase our own experience), forestry work and occasional courses in permaculture design based on our holding and taught by bought-in teachers. Bursts of such work generated the capital to allow us to get things going on Tir Penrhos Isaf.
Moving here in winter meant initially we concentrated on making the caravan warm and comfortable and providing adequate facilities for washing etc. We then began to set up the intensive food garden so as to provide for more of our needs from the holding itself. Due to now living on site and the way it makes attending to plant systems so much easier, we have been able to make good progress here.
Drainage was carried out around the dwelling area and we were fortunate enough to break into an old, extremely well constructed stone culvert and renovate it. Moving out from the intensive garden, planting of hard fruit was undertaken using varieties suitable to the locality. Soft fruit was established and a range of soil improving plants were included. Native trees have been planted for animal fodder, shelter, screening and a long term, (next generation), high-value timber yield. We have planted some exotics such as larch, as fast growing shelter and a shorter term crop and a larger shelter belt has been planted with fodder trees.
Many plants have been started from seed and trialed on the site and successful species have been marketed locally and through the permaculture network, (details are given on the accompanying sheets). Living on site has meant we have been able to keep a wider range of livestock to supply more of our own food needs and generate an additional part of our income. These have include pigs, poultry, cattle, sheep and goats. We have found local traditions useful here; for example, using crushed gorse as a fodder crop has greatly reduced the need to buy feed.
At the same time, I have continued my education in Permaculture Design and now hold a diploma. There are only about 15 diploma holders in the whole of Britain and this has allowed us to begin teaching our own courses from Tir Penrhos Isaf, (details are given on the accompanying sheets). This has greatly reduced our reliance on outside work so now the bulk of our income is generated by the holding itself.
As we said in our original application, it is not our intention to concentrate solely on teaching; we still see this more as the means by which we gain the investment needed to set up the holding as an increasingly productive system.
We feel we are achieving what we set out to do and that we are already generating an income which is adequate for us from Tir Penrhos Isaf. We also feel we can do more. For these reasons we are asking for a renewal of our planning permission for a temporary dwelling in order to continue to demonstrate and experiment with permaculture in this climate and locality. We feel this is an ideal opportunity to reverse the trend of rural depopulation. Many thanks for your time,
your sincerely,
Chris, Lyn and Sam Dixon
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TIR PENRHOS ISAF: Half year INCOME from APRIL 1994 (gross)
| TOTALS | OUTSIDE | STOCK | TEACHING | DESIGN | 1/2YEAR TOTAL |
| 1,390.50 | 1,019.80 | 1,858.16 | 880.00 | 5,148.46 |
Explanatory notes for INCOME from APRIL 1994
COLUMN HEADINGS
1. OUTSIDE.
This means work done outside the holding to generate capital for investment in Tir Penrhos Isaf. This includes forestry work in the area and carpentry for local people. This work is less and less required as by living on site we are able to generate more and more of our income through work directly connected with the holding.
2. STOCK.
Stock refers to both livestock and plant material. The size of the holding favours traditions of buying-in livestock in the spring, fattening during the summer, then selling on or slaughtering during the autumn to avoid the expense of feeding through the winter. This has been applied successfully to weaner pigs and sheep in particular. Some stock are overwintered to preserve the grazing.
Living on site has meant much closer attention could be given to stock so for example, extra milking goats could be kept with surplus milk going to the weaner pigs. Similarly, orphaned calves raised on excess goats milk.
Plant material sold includes live plants, seeds and harvested produce. Sales of plants and seeds take place largely through the permaculture network, ("Future Foods" is a trading arm of the association which handles sales of plant products) and also direct sales to visitors and local people.
3. TEACHING.
This heading includes courses, talks and visits. Courses draw money into the area and employ local people in their running as well as offering reduced rates to local people for attendance, (see sheets 3 and 4 for further details). Visits are sometimes payed for in goods and services but also in sterling including donations. Payment for talks covers their costs and generates a small wage. They are particularly useful for passing on ideas locally and getting feedback and further information.
4. DESIGN.
This refers to consultation work and full permaculture designs for clients using Tir Penrhos Isaf as the working model. Living on site has enabled us to actively demonstrate how to move towards sustainable lifestyles.
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DAVID HOLMGREN COURSE at TIR PENRHOS ISAF 5-7 AUGUST 1994
[Accounts]
| (summary) | BOOKING | CHEQUES | CASH | TOTAL | (STARS) |
| TOTALS | 200.00 | 725.35 | 315.35 | 1,240.35 | 150.00 |
The course was led by David Holmgren, the Australian co-originator of permaculture, on his first visit to Europe. On the tour he taught in Israel, Germany, France, Spain, Norway, Denmark and Scandinavia. This was the only course he taught in Britain. David is a very capable and understanding permaculture designer, certainly one of the most experienced in the world at present and had tremendous sympathy for local farmers and the challenges they face.
Course participants came from Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, England and Wales. As is our practice, we subsidised local people on low incomes or unemployed and covered the costs for two completely. Accommodation was local bed and breakfast or camping. All food for the catering was either produced from the holding itself or from other gardeners in the area or from local shops. Local people were also employed to help with catering and the general running of the course.
Feedback from those attending was excellent. In particular people were extremely glad to see our site and how we live on it. A number of people have visited before and were delighted to see the progress as we continue to develop the design for the holding. This course was extremely useful for our growing reputation in the British and European permaculture networks.
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Examples of weekend courses at TIR PENRHOS ISAF.
example 1. Kath's course 9/10 July 1994
| NAME | BOOKING | CHEQUES | CASH | TOTAL |
| Kath Turner | 10.00 | 40.00 | 50.00 | |
| Jack Turner | 10.00 | 140.00 | 150.00 | |
| TOTALS | 20.00 | 140.00 | 40.00 | 200.00 |
example 2. Gina's course 13/14 August 1994
| NAME | BOOKING | CHEQUES | CASH | TOTAL |
| Gina Ditchforth | 10.00 | 120.00 | 130.00 | |
| Dick Ditchforth | 10.00 | 140.00 | 150.00 | |
| Carolyn | 10.00 | 80.00 | 90.00 | |
| TOTALS | 30.00 | 340.00 | 370.00 |
The weekend courses are for 2-4 people only and thus have a very low impact. Accommodation is local bed and breakfast or camping. Food for the catering is either grown on our site or obtained from other local gardeners or shops.
The courses are designed to meet the specific needs of those attending. All inquiries are sent a list of optional topics with their booking form. From the list of topics they select the ones they would particularly like to study. We only offer topics that we have direct practical experience of; that is, we do not teach what we have not done ourselves.
The courses have a strong practical nature and move from theory through observation of examples on our site to actually doing it. Many of the people who come on our courses have little or no practical experience and our intention is to give them the confidence to practice permaculture themselves, whether in a town garden or on larger holdings.
We offer a price range of from £50 to £150 for the weekend's teaching including food and ask participants to choose what level they wish to pay at the end of the course. As can be seen from the examples above even small courses can be lucrative.
Responses to these small courses have been excellent. In particular, people love to see someone actually practicing and living permaculture. Kath Turner wrote to the national Permaculture Magazine praising the course we designed for her and a copy of her letter is enclosed.
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Half and full day visits and guided tours at Tir Penrhos Isaf 1994
Due to our connections within the permaculture national and international network, we have attracted numbers of visitors from many different parts of the world. We have also freely welcomed visits from locals. We see these as opportunities to pass on some of the lessons learned on our site to other permaculture designers and the wider public. Visits vary from two hours to half or full day. We ask for remuneration to cover our time and take this in the form of plants, materials, work or money. Again, the great attraction for visitors is to see us living on and actively developing the site in a sensitive way.
A selection of visitors are given below.
We were also visited twice by BBC Wales and screen tested for their series "Mountain Dwellers". They were very positive about our presentation and we were on a short-list of eight, of which six sites would be used. Unfortunately ours was not chosen in the end as we lacked a suitable mountain.
Further information regarding our work at TIR PENRHOS ISAF.
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1. Income substitution.
We have followed traditions of exchange and bartering of goods and services within the local community. This helps build and maintain connections and friendships between people and also means there is less reliance on, or need for money.
Examples of some of the goods or services I have received include Welsh lessons, a slide projector, (for use when giving talks), a generator, (as an emergency power supply), timber for fencing, parts of a horse drawn vehicle, (to rebuild and use) and a scythe. In return, some of the goods and services we have provided include carpentry, plants, consultation, computer skills and manure.
We have also been able to meet more of our needs through living on the holding itself. So for example, production of food for our own use is steadily increasing and at present includes vegetables, fruit, (hard and soft), milk, meat, eggs and herbs. Similarly, fodder harvesting on site means less need for bought in feed and the fact that we no longer have to commute by car twice a day saves considerable time, fuel and money. So by living on site we don't need as much money.
We also increase the value of on-site resources and combine them with local waste materials which are free. For example, instead of buying animal bedding we use wood shavings from a local timber operation. The soiled bedding is then composted with bracken to produce a potting material for raising plants for sale.
All the above and volunteers, (see below), represent some form of income substitution. This is hard to show in facts and figures on an account sheet but it means that we can maintain a reasonable lifestyle without having to be high earners. Possibly more important is that income substitution encourages direct contact with people which leads to strong connections and friendships, especially locally. We see this as the continuation of a vital tradition.
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2. Volunteers.
Due to our connections we have been able to attract permaculture volunteers and WWOOFers, (Working Weekends On Organic Farms), to undertake work at Tir Penrhos Isaf. This SHEET 6 is very useful for us due to our limited investment capital and can be seen as a form of income substitution, (as described above). At current rates for agricultural workers this quality help would be very expensive to buy in. Volunteers stay in local bed and breakfast or camp.
Examples of volunteer work in 1994 are given below.
| Leila Kara | 5 days Tree planting and mulching |
| David Craver | 5 days Tree planting and mulching |
| David Blair | 3 days Fencing |
| David Blair | 3 days Planting and mulching |
| Maria Gonzalves | 5 days Gardening, harvesting |
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3. The Permaculture Association (GB) Reg. Charity no. 290897
I was elected to the council of management of the Permaculture Association (GB) in 1992 and held the role of Chairman of the Association from 1993-94. I passed on this role in September of this year and will remain on the council until 1995.
My work for the charity has generated useful connections and greatly increased my knowledge of current permaculture projects in Britain. These include the Bradford City Council Springfield project, (a £250,000 permaculture development as part of their City Challenge Initiative), Devon County Council's Black Down Hills project, (a large permaculture design involving several thousand acres and hundreds of local people) as well as a whole range of smaller projects.
We also hosted a council meeting at Tir Penrhos Isaf in 1993.
The permaculture network operates a LETS system which trades in STARS. This means a growing range of goods and services are available to us without the need for sterling. We also accept part-payment for courses in stars which means low earners or unemployed people can still attend.
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4. Talks and slide shows on Permaculture Design.
I undertake workshops and give talks within Gwynedd on Permaculture Design using slides showing examples of techniques and strategies used at Tir Penrhos Isaf. Response is excellent and again, people are delighted to hear about and see slides of us actually "doing it"; that is, developing a sustainable livelihood on our own holding. Some of the talks and workshops I have given are listed on the next sheet.
Examples of workshops and talks given, 1994.
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5. Further points.
Articles on Tir Penrhos Isaf have appeared in the national Permaculture magazine of which I am now an associate editor.
An interview of us both was presented on the radio 4 farming programme, "On Your Farm", from which feedback was very good and led to a number of inquiries regarding visits and courses.
Several students in agriculture and related subjects have visited us and used Tir Penrhos Isaf as a case study for their degree work as an example of sustainable development in farming and forestry.
Tir Penrhos Isaf has been accepted on the CCW Tir Cymen scheme which will provide us with an annual grant of £500 for ten years plus further funding towards our hedging, tree planting and ponds. We see this as a useful way to help overcome our lack of investment capital and further implement the design for the site. Due to the number of farms applying for inclusion Tir Penrhos Isaf will not be processed until spring 1996. Something to look forward too at least.
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