History

Project History
The Offshoots Permaculture Site is located in what was originally the walled kitchen garden of Towneley Hall. In 1902, the Hall and surrounding parkland was purchased from the Towneley family by Burnley Borough Council. The walled garden became the works depot of the Council's Parks Department and then eventually fell derelict. It was liberated in 1997 by a small group of enthusiasts and an Introduction to Permaculture course for local people was hosted. A management committee was subsequently formed and the garden's reconstruction as a Permaculture site began. In 2002, Groundwork East Lancashire Trust (now Groundwork Pennine Lancashire Trust) was invited to manage the site on behalf of the voluntary management committee. The Trust then secured funding to support staff and activities on site.
Since 1997, Offshoots has built four eco-friendly buildings from different natural materials, installing them with wind and solar power. The garden has been completely reclaimed from the many years of neglect, allowing small-scale rotational organic crop production. Has run a successful food waste composting project, collecting kitchen waste from local households and businesses. Has run a tree nursery, which began with a few seeds in root trainers. The nursery has now been extended into land, donated by Sir Simon Towneley, for mature trees. Offshoots has won a number of awards including a BURA (British Urban Regeneration Award) in acknowledgement of the site and all the hard work that the community and volunteers has put into it. Offshoots has been involved in developing many allotments and community garden spaces for schools and communities. Offshoots has provided horticultural consultancy, design, supply and maintenance for Manchester's new URBIS Museum and Lancashire County Council, amongst others. The site works with schools, colleges, visitors and volunteers of all ages and abilities. The Project has not strayed from its community roots and is there for everybody to enjoy and learn from, playing host to as many as 5000 visitors per year. Offshoots provides a working example of how a successful garden can flourish using environmentally-friendly green technologies in the 21st Century.

The Offshoots Permaculture Site is located in what was originally the walled kitchen garden of Towneley Hall. In 1902, the Hall and surrounding parkland was purchased from the Towneley family by Burnley Borough Council. The walled garden became the works depot of the Council's Parks Department and then eventually fell derelict.

It was liberated in 1997 by a small group of enthusiasts and an Introduction to Permaculture course for local people was hosted. A management committee was subsequently formed and the garden's reconstruction as a Permaculture site began.

In 2002, Groundwork East Lancashire Trust (now Groundwork Pennine Lancashire Trust) was invited to manage the site on behalf of the voluntary management committee. The Trust then secured funding to support staff and activities on site.

Offshoots has built four eco-friendly buildings from different natural materials, installing them with wind and solar power.
The garden has been completely reclaimed from the many years of neglect, allowing small-scale rotational organic crop production.
Has run a successful food waste composting project, collecting kitchen waste from local households and businesses.
Has run a tree nursery, which began with a few seeds in root trainers. The nursery has now been extended into land, donated by Sir Simon Towneley, for mature trees.
Offshoots has won a number of awards including a BURA (British Urban Regeneration Award) in acknowledgement of the site and all the hard work that the community and volunteers has put into it.
Offshoots has been involved in developing many allotments and community garden spaces for schools and communities.
Offshoots has provided horticultural consultancy, design, supply and maintenance for Manchester's new URBIS Museum and Lancashire County Council, amongst others.

Offshoots is managed by Groundwork Pennine Lancashire

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Offshoots is managed by Groundwork Pennine Lancashire