Brighton Permaculture Trust

12/10/2026

A look back to summer (a distant memory now!) when our latest group of Permaculture Design Course (PDC) students had a catch-up in our Home Farm Orchard.

It was a relaxing, creative meet-up, where they discussed all things post PDC diploma under the shade of the trees.

The photos of the day were captured by the lovely Fran who said:
"A wonderful gathering in the Orchard! So much talent in our lovely permie group. And a big thank you – for such lovely support from the Scrump team for supplying the refreshments for the day."

11/10/2026

A lovely afternoon at the Big Wild Park Community Event!

Last week, our team member Spam visited Wild Park on behalf of Brighton Permaculture Trust, helping children from the local area make fresh apple juice.

It was a fun way to celebrate the season and connect with neighbours in the wonderful community where the city meets the South Downs.

Thanks to Moulsecoomb Local Action Team and Action for Bevendean Community for organising such a joyful event! 💚

10/10/2026

PRUNING YOUNG FRUIT TREES
One-day course at Stanmer Park

📅 Saturday 15 February 2025
🕐 9:30am - 4pm
📍 Stanmer Park, Brighton

In this hands-on course you will learn how to prune a fruit tree from the time of planting until it is established. We’ll be practising on apple trees. Pruning pip fruit - apples, pears, quinces - and stone fruit like plums and damsons follows similar principles, with a few important differences.

Why do we need to prune? Often it’s to guide the shape of the tree so the fruit is easy to reach and the tree fits comfortably in our spaces. Pruning also keeps trees healthy and helps us manage pests and diseases.

After the course, you’ll feel confident pruning everything from small allotment trees to full-sized orchard trees. The principles are the same, whether the first branches sit at knee height or overhead. We will look at both open centred “goblet” tree forms and “centre-leader” trees.

You can sign-up online for the course at the link in bio, or by visiting our website.

08/10/2026

International volunteers make a big impact at Brighton Permaculture Trust!

Students from Oxford International School rolled up their sleeves to help volunteer with our team recently – and what a difference they made!

Across two weeks, they:
🍏 Gathered 980kg of apples
🧃 Helped make 770 litres of apple juice
💧 Delivered 480 litres of recycled water to our National Collection of Sussex Heritage Apple trees
🌳 Cared for 14 Sussex heritage apple trees and
🧁 Made 180 cheese and chive scones for our Apple Harvest Day fundraiser

Brighton School Principal Charlie O’Meara said: “The BPT team have been great. They worked with us to ensure we could deliver the right programme to our students, and were helpful throughout the initial stages of the process. The delivery was outstanding. Nick was very knowledgeable, and made sure that sessions were engaging, fun and students understood the impact of what they were doing. I would highly recommend volunteering with the Brighton Permaculture Trust team.”

A huge thank you to the students, Charlie and all the wonderful students for their hard work and enthusiasm. We’d love to welcome more groups in the future!

Visit https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/get-involved/volunteering-sessions/

08/10/2026

A wonderful article about Kirsty and the history of the Racehill Orchard from The Trust for Developing Communities 💚

The Racehill Orchard is part of the Brighton Permaculture Trust and is one of our community partners in the Whitehawk Hills project. The Whitehawk Hills Project brings together residents, local organisations, and partners to celebrate, protect, and improve access to Brighton’s neolithic site and ...

07/10/2026

ONLY 1 SPACE REMAINING

14 WEEK PERMACULTURE DESIGN COURSE
with Brighton Permaculture Trust

📅 31 October 2026 – 13 March 2027
📍 Lewes

The course is for anyone who is concerned with the environmental and social challenges around them and wants to develop positive solutions, including food growing, home renovation and livelihoods.

Meet Jemma, one of our recent PDC graduates…

Jemma attended our Permaculture Design Course last year and has continued to integrate permaculture principles through her hospitality design practice, Kreative Kiddle.

Jemma takes a considered approach to design, combining creativity with resource-conscious thinking. Her work brings together thoughtful design and practical solutions to create spaces that are both beautiful and responsible. Her work demonstrates how the principles explored through a PDC can translate into a professional practice - influencing how we design, build and create for the future.

Jemma shares…
“A course of unimaginable personal impact that continues to inspire and challenge my thinking and actions, encouraging me to connect my head, my heart and my hands to thrive.”

Why not discover what a Permaculture Design Course could bring to your work.

You can sign-up online for the course here: https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/permaculture-design-course/

19/09/2026

APPLE HARVEST DAY – 1 DAY TO GO!

Apple Harvest Day is happening tomorrow! Sunday 20th September 12-5pm and we couldn't be more excited!

On the day both kids and adults can get involved in some apple juicing! One of our permaculture principles is to create no waste, so our Scrumped in Sussex project saves fruit that would otherwise be wasted and turns it into delicious juices, ciders and chutneys.

Photo by Ellen Richardson

Find us at Home Farm Orchard, Stanmer Park, Lewes Road, Stanmer, Brighton BN1 9PZ

More info here: https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/apple-harvest-day/

18/09/2026

APPLE HARVEST DAY – 3 DAYS TO GO!

We're less than a week away from Apple Harvest Day which is happening on Sunday 20th September 12-5pm and we couldn't be more excited!

Today, a focus on everyone's favourite... CRUMBLE. Our wonderful Crumble Sisters will be on hand with their delicious fruit crumble. Served with cream, and with vegan options available too.

Find us at Home Farm Orchard, Stanmer Park, Lewes Road, Stanmer, Brighton BN1 9PZ

More info here: https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/apple-harvest-day/

17/09/2026

APPLE HARVEST DAY – 2 DAYS TO GO!

We're less than a week away from Apple Harvest Day which is happening on Sunday 20th September 12-5pm and we couldn't be more excited!

We'll have an array of wonderful stalls and talented makers at the event from like-minded folk including:

Wild Flower Conservation Society- Brighton and Beyond
The Sewing Collective from The Network of International Women for Brighton & Hove
CPRE Sussex
Cacao cove
Fossils and Gemstones - She Sells Sea Shells
Caroma Skincare
Earth Botanicals
Rob Stringer-coppice&timber products

Our neighbours at the Stanmer Preservation Society are also open for you to take a look around, and if you're feeling peckish you can drop in to the Stanmer Tea Rooms!

Find us at Home Farm Orchard, Stanmer Park, Lewes Road, Stanmer, Brighton BN1 9PZ

More info here: https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/apple-harvest-day/