Offshoots organise many training courses and events throughout the year. In 2009, Offshoots ran courses on Growing your Own Organic Vegetables and Traditional Skills, ie. beekeeping, dry stone walling and green woodworking. Keep an eye on the website for our programme of courses for 2010.

Offshoots also offers bespoke courses available to groups in a wide range of environmental related activities. These are delivered by professional tutors in the field of:

• dry stone walling, bodging (green wood working), cob building, strawbale building, beekeeping, composting, arboriculture, painting/drawing, instrument making, mosaic creation, natural dyeing, wood carving

If you would like to arrange a school/college/educational trip or visit to learn more about Permaculture and Offshoots, information is available on the GROUP BOOKINGS page. Visits can be arranged with Phill Dewhurst, the Project Manager - see CONTACTS. Offshoots is open to the public Monday to Friday, and the first Saturday of every month - 10am till 4pm.

Burnley College and Myerscough College both run a variety of horticultural related courses here on site throughout the year. The courses are delivered throughout the week using our Walter Segal Self Build Cabin and garden facilities. For more information on the types of courses and term times, please contact the colleges.

Myerscough College - 01995 642211
Burnley College - 01282 711200

Forestry & Edible Fungi
Using woodland and timber to grow edible mushrooms

Offshoots is hosting the following workshops for those interested in using woodland, timber or wood chips to grow edible fungi.

Day One - Tuesday 13th October 2009
10am - 3.30pm

All you need to know to prepare for fungi production using timber as the growing medium - led by Niels Corfield, an experienced Permaculture practitioner and supported by the Forest of Burnley and Lancashire Woodlands Project.

Day Two - Thursday 4th February 2010
10am - 3pm

This workshop will be a practical hands-on workshop showing participants how to successfully inoculate logs, woodchip and sawdush and how to manage the timber to produce good fungi crops. Participants will be able to take away a starter kit of fungi spores to inoculate their own timber.

Places are limited so book early!
The cost will be £30 for 1 workshop, or £50 for both if booked together.

For further information, please contact on Paul Bullimore on 01772 533917 or email lwp@lancashire.gov.uk

Permaculture & Traditional Skills

1st Saturday in every month

We will be running workshops to coincide with our Volunteer Saturday activities throughout the year. These will include container vegetable growing, Permaculture, attracting wildlife into the garden, tree planting etc.

The workshops will be happening on the first Saturday in every month running from 10am till 4pm and are free.

Please see our Volunteer page for further details or telephone 01282 450270.

Living Allotments Project

The Living Allotments Project is a joint venture between Age Concern, Lancashire and Groundwork Pennine Lancashire, and is funded by the Big Lottery's Target Well Being programme.

The Living Allotments Project is supported by Burnley Borough Council, Calico, and NHS East Lancashire.

We run a programme of free workshops and training which are held at the Offshoots Permaculture Project and Howard Street Community Garden in Burnley. Training includes, growing your own, organic gardening, composting, backyard gardening.

Watch this space for the 2010 training programme!

For more information, please contact Lisa Yates on 01282 450270 or 07947567711, email at info@offshoots.org.uk, or Donna Rowe-Green on 01282 473124 or donnarowe-green@hotmail.co.uk