About the Course
This seven-day permaculture course in Sussex offers a practical introduction to permaculture through lived experience at Goat Grid, a six-year-old food forest at the foot of the South Downs, inspired by syntropic agroforestry.
Rather than separating theory from practice, the course brings them together through daily life. You will learn by doing, observing and reflecting, working with land, food systems and community as part of a shared experience.
It is designed for people who want to explore permaculture in a grounded, realistic way, whether you are new to the approach or looking to deepen your understanding.
What You’ll Experience
Across the week, learning is woven into daily life. You’ll spend time working with soil, plants and seasonal rhythms in the food forest, exploring food growing, forest gardening and agroforestry. Alongside this, you’ll begin to understand how to observe patterns, work with natural systems and apply simple design thinking to your own life or project.
You will explore:
- how to observe and respond to natural patterns
- food growing, forest gardening and seasonal awareness
- practical, hands-on work in the food forest and land-based systems
- simple design tools you can apply to your own life or project
- group co-coaching and reflection to deepen learning and integration
The week includes our Design a Forest Garden day and our Soil, Composting & Mulching day, which are also open to people joining for just one day.
Much of the learning happens through doing. Time in the food forest is balanced with conversation, reflection and group work, helping you make sense of what you’re experiencing and how it relates to your own context.
Food is a central part of the week. Growing, preparing and sharing meals in our outdoor kitchen becomes part of the learning, connecting practical skills with a wider understanding of nourishment and food culture.
There is also space to slow down and notice what’s happening, both around you and within you. Simple somatic and reflective practices are offered as a gentle way to support awareness, resilience and integration.
You’ll also take part in interactive design sessions, using real situations and ideas to begin shaping your own next steps.
What You’ll Leave With
You’ll leave with a clearer sense of direction, practical tools you can start using straight away, and more confidence in growing food and working with natural systems.
The learning hours from the week can also count towards the modular Permaculture Design Certificate.
“The community aspect, eating together, getting to connect with people searching for the same things, being held in this space with compassion and love, quite a unique experience overall.”
Participant, 2026 Permaculture Immersion at Coed Hills
Who Is This For?
This immersion is perfect if you:
- have a project, idea or lifestyle shift you want to explore
- want to learn more about growing food or develop your existing practice
- care about health, wellbeing and living more sustainably
- are curious about permaculture and how it applies in real life
- are considering a full PDC and want to begin working towards that
Not quite ready for a full week?
Our two-day Permaculture Immersion Intro Weekend at Goat Grid, on 24–25 April, offers a shorter way to experience our approach to practical growing, permaculture design and learning in community. It can be taken as a course in its own right, or as a first step before joining us for the full week in May.
The Cost and Payment Plans
Supported £395 · Standard £525 · Pay it forward £550
You can pay in full, or spread the cost over up to five monthly payments (for example, £105 a month over five months at the standard rate, or £79 at the supported rate). Your first payment is your deposit and secures your place.
We offer 5 Supported places on this week, so if you need one, we’d encourage you to book early. Payment plans are available at every rate, including Supported. Find out how our pricing works on our Fair Share page.
Book your place online. If you have any questions, email marianne@awildlife.org.uk or message us on WhatsApp.
The Accommodation
This is a camping-only course, with free onsite camping at Goat Grid. The yurt will be our shared base, and meals will be cooked in the outdoor kitchen.
Full details of onsite facilities will be confirmed soon. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.
Accessibility & inclusion
We want everyone to feel welcome, and we also want to be honest about the site. Goat Grid is a working food forest with uneven ground, and it would be difficult to access for wheelchair users. There is no indoor teaching space, and the course takes place outdoors and in the yurt.
If you have access needs or questions, we warmly encourage you to get in touch before booking. We’re happy to talk through what’s possible and how we can best support you.
The course team
The week will be led by members of our teaching team. Not everyone will be at every course, and we’ll confirm who’s teaching nearer the time.
- Steve Charter – (MA, Pc Diploma) has around 30 years’ experience in sustainability education and regenerative design, and has led Permaculture Design Certificate courses in the UK and Spain.
- Rachel Owen – (MSc Arboriculture & Urban Forestry) is a landscape designer and educator, with specialist experience in trees and urban forestry.
- Nir Halfon – (MSc) specialises in sustainable horticulture and regenerative farming education, and set up the Sustainable Horticulture Management degree at Plumpton College.
- Caspar Dickinson – is the founder of Goat Grid, a food forest, nursery and agroforestry business in Sussex. He designs, plants and maintains food forests, and has a first-class degree in Chemistry from the University of Bristol.
- Marianne Lindfield – has a strong background in community engagement and co-founded The Pod Project in Northern Ireland, a permaculture and wellbeing hub.
Food is by Joshua Dickinson.
More information in About Us
To get a feel for what the immersions are like, you can read about our first permaculture immersions at Coed Hills last summer.
Continue the Journey
If you’d like to continue towards your Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC), the learning hours from this Immersion Week can form part of the new modular PDC pathway overseen by the Permaculture Association (Britain).
If you’d like to complete your Permaculture Design Certificate, you can build on your learning by joining our shorter Returning and Deepening Permaculture Immersion, which can be considered part two of your PDC. It’s optional, and runs at two sites, and you’re welcome to choose whichever suits you:
- Goat Grid, Sussex: 18–22 August 2027
- Coed Hills, Vale of Glamorgan: 18–23 October 2027
As part of building an ongoing learning community, you’ll also be invited to join our online cohort calls after the immersion, offering a chance to reconnect, share how you’re putting your learning into practice and continue supporting one another.
Join us on the Permaculture Immersion
If this sounds like the kind of learning experience you’re looking for, we’d love you to join us at Goat Grid in May.
Book your place: email marianne@awildlife.org.uk
If you’re unsure whether the April weekend or the full May immersion would suit you best, you’re very welcome to book a discovery call and talk it through with us.
