Teachers
Aranya
Klaudia van Gool
Klaudia has had an interest in growing things as long as she can remember and has incorporated Permaculture ideas for the last thirty, since accidentally picking up Bill Mollison's book in the library.
In 2006 she completed the Sustainable Land Use and Permaculture Design Certificate at Ragmans Lane Farm with Patrick Whitefield, followed by her Diploma in Permaculture Design in January 2009. Klaudia has a degree in Environmental Science from University of Plymouth and has worked for many years as an Environmental consultant in environmental management for businesses.
She has been increasingly drawn to the People Care ethic of permaculture, using the design process for personal and social designs and bringing a strong yet soft focus and many tools to the people care aspects on courses. She has taught 41 PDCs to date and is involved with local regenerative agriculture design and climate resilience action.
Heavily inspired by the 8 shields model developed by Jon Young she also works with regenerative cultural elements such as deep nature connection, ceremony and rites of passage with fire and is studying herbal medicine.
Pat Bowcock
This inspired her to look for a piece of land to live in harmony with which she found in the form of a pony paddock in June 1999. Her aim was to create a haven for plants, wildlife, trees and people. Pat realized that she couldn't change the world alone, but she could take responsibility for what she ate, where she slept, her waste, and how she interacted with others. A central element of her intention was people care, planet care and fair share.
Pat set about creating the systems she would need to put these principles into action. She was supported and encouraged by her family and the many people who came to help make Ourganics what it is today. Ourganics Evolving Systems has become her portfolio of design work which in July 2006 earned her the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design.
Caroline Aitken
This inspired her to look for a piece of land to live in harmony with which she found in the form of a pony paddock in June 1999. Her aim was to create a haven for plants, wildlife, trees and people. Pat realized that she couldn't change the world alone, but she could take responsibility for what she ate, where she slept, her waste, and how she interacted with others. A central element of her intention was people care, planet care and fair share.
Pat set about creating the systems she would need to put these principles into action. She was supported and encouraged by her family and the many people who came to help make Ourganics what it is today. Ourganics Evolving Systems has become her portfolio of design work which in July 2006 earned her the Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design.
Chris Evans
Chris lives at Applewood with his partner Looby and children Shanti and Teya. He has taught permaculture in the UK, Europe, Nepal, India, U.S.A. and Mexico. He is also a senior level tutor for apprentices working towards their diploma in applied permaculture design with the Permaculture Association Britain.
He has lived and worked in Nepal since 1985, starting his career as a VSO volunteer in a community forestry programme in Nepal after graduating in Forestry in the UK. Based in the remote western district of Jajarkot, he quickly realised the shortfalls of international development and so in 1988, when he came across the concept of Permaculture, he embarked on an ambitious alternative. Starting with a local friend, £500 and an acre of degraded farmland in the district centre of Jajarkot he founded a demonstration and training centre which grew organically into the Jajarkot Permaculture Programme (JPP), a diverse array of projects spanning 4 districts, 65 villages, 8 resource centres (working farms), 120 staff and volunteers, and a membership of 12,000 farmers which successfully spread new ideas in line with existing cultural traditions.
Looby Macnamara
Looby was first inspired by permaculture when eating a flower salad from a 6 foot square patio garden bursting with vitality in the middle of an urban jungle. She went on to do her permaculture course in Brighton, but it was not only the content of the course, but how it was taught that led her on the path to teaching permaculture. Her path since has been life changing and has affirmed the belief that we can all take positive action to benefit ourselves, our communities and our planet. She is interested in how we can use Permaculture principles, ethics and design in all aspects of life, and as part of her Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design she included several non land-based designs.
Her book 'People and Permaculture' was the first book to directly explore the application of permaculture design and principles to our lives and relationships. She teaches a diversity of permaculture courses, including introductory, full design, advanced design, teacher training and peoplecare courses. In 2016 she moved to Applewood Permaculture Centre, a 20 acre smallholding in North Herefordshire with her family and partner Chris Evans. She is also a senior diploma tutor and experienced in people based designs.
Looby has been developing the Cultural Emergence toolkit for positive cultural evolution for individuals and communities. The understanding of both systems and patterns is a fundamental part of the effectiveness of this toolkit.Hannah Thorogood
Hannah is a senior tutor with the permaculture diploma system and was one of the lead designers in creating the current system and she co-designed and leads the tutor training within that system. She has also been teaching permaculture design courses since 2002 and has been teaching permaculture teaching courses since 2007. She has a reputation for creating a very accepting and fun learning environment, putting people from all backgrounds at ease to enjoy their learning together.
Hannah has a BSc in Environmental Studies from Manchester University & an MSc Organic Farming from Scottish Agricultural College. She also loves to knit and crochet using her own Inkpot wool.
