A massive thank you to the large number of attendees at our Resistance Festival. The Trustees did their best to derail and prevent the event from happening, but pure spirit, plentiful support and good will prevailed, to help us host a wonderful festival!

It was a hugely enjoyable week for me learning very useful new skills and boosting my confidence to have a go.

Incoming charity trustees have dissolved the community that has run Monkton Wyld Court for the last 15 years and have fired four members, including the dairyman and the head veg grower.

at Monkton Wyld Court, nr Lyme Regis Dorset, DT6 6DQ

Workshops held in marquee and side tents; free camping and camper vans; self catering in covered outdoor kitchens; compost loos; wood fired pizza oven available to use; free milk, spuds and onions; simple refreshments available; parking; spillover site next door belonging to friendly owner available.

Please be aware that we have limited facilities to deal with landfill and recycling waste. Only bring what you need, and be prepared to take your rubbish home. 

Sorry, but we are unable to accommodate dogs.

There will be no parking available on site at Monkton Wyld Court. All parking will be across the road at the camping field. 

Donations to our fantastic tutors for their time will be welcomed, along with donations for the event itself

PROCEEDS WILL BE PUT TOWARDS THE REPAIR OF THE PINE HALL ROOF, ONCE THE ISSUES WITH THE TRUSTEES HAVE BEEN SETTLED

Saturday 26th August

Family event (2 DAYS – DAY 1 OF 2) – Ida Fabrizio
Ida hosts her family wild movement and games workshop on this first day of our family event. Lots of learning about nature in the beautiful Monkton Wyld surroundings. On Sunday combines with Miles Irving’s foraging.

Foraging – Miles Irving
This foraging session will focus on exploring land near human dwellings as a source of food and medicine and will be centred around finding and using the most common and easily identified plants. The purpose of the session will be to inspire people to develop habits and practices around communal gathering and use of wild plants. Most humans who ever lived spent their days obtaining what they needed from where they lived as a group before gathering around a communal hearth to process and eat what they found. Rather than simply igniting an interest in individual people to go foraging, the session is aimed at provoking people to gather with their neighbours around these shared activities. The hoped for outcome is a reweaving of cultural fabric between people and the landscapes they inhabit.

Evening – Fireside Music

Sunday 27th August

Family Event (2 DAYS – DAY 2 OF 2) – Ida Fabrizio & Miles Irving (Foraging)
Combining with Miles Irving

Foraging – Miles Irving (COMBINING W/ FAMILY EVENT)
This foraging session will focus on exploring land near human dwellings as a source of food and medicine and will be centred around finding and using the most common and easily identified plants. The purpose of the session will be to inspire people to develop habits and practices around communal gathering and use of wild plants. Most humans who ever lived spent their days obtaining what they needed from where they lived as a group before gathering around a communal hearth to process and eat what they found. Rather than simply igniting an interest in individual people to go foraging, the session is aimed at provoking people to gather with their neighbours around these shared activities. The hoped for outcome is a reweaving of cultural fabric between people and the landscapes they inhabit.

WET system of Waste Water Purification (Starts at 2pm) – Jay Abrahams
Monkton Wyld Court is more than pleased with the regenerative wastewater purification system that replaced our overloaded reedbed. It’s designer and builder Jay Abrahams of Biologic Design conducts a tour explaining how it works using permaculture design principles.

Hand Tools (2 DAYS – DAY 1 OF 2) – Kevin Austin and Simon Fairlie
This two day course is suitable for people whose education and upbringing failed to give them a good grounding in the use of outdoor manual tools; but will also benefit people who have some experience. It covers a wide variety of manual outdoor tools, both traditional and modern (no electric or petrol motors): gardening tools including hoes, drills, mattocks and wheeled instruments; forestry and hedging tools; fencing and simple gate and hurdle manufacture; general tools, rope work, pulley and hoist use, repairing handles etc etc. The course is open to all reasonably fit adults. Youngsters over the age of 12 are welcome, provided that they actively want to do the course and are not being pressured into it.

Monday 28th August

Hand Tools (2 DAYS – DAY 2 OF 2) – Kevin Austin and Simon Fairlie
See Sunday

Permaculture & Forest Gardening (2 DAYS – DAY 1 OF 2) (STARTS AT 9:30 AM) – Philip Gamble and Aranya
This first day will concentrate on permaculture gardening. Including –
*Soil basics. Jar test. Soil food web.
*Permaculture gardening: factors & techniques.
*Building soil & fertility; composting, liquid feeds, compost teas etc.
*Small scale forest gardens. Fruit trees: choosing, planting & care.

Tuesday 29th August

Scythe Course – Simon Fairlie and Jared Hills (Starts at 9am)
Setting Up, Mowing, Sharpening and Basic Peening. Scythes and accessories can be bought at the end of the course.

Permaculture & Forest Gardening (2 DAYS – DAY 2 OF 2) (STARTS AT 9:30 AM) – Philip Gamble and Aranya
The second day of Philip and Aranya’s course will cover gardening skills, along with demonstrations and practicals, including –
*Propagation (all kinds)
*Pruning
*Tree planting, support and aftercare, mulching etc.
*Crown lifting?
*Tool care

French cheese making & Soft cheese making – Julie Rubiella and Jasmine Hills
Julie shows how to make a Tomme, a hard French cheese, and can answer questions about other French cheeses, while Jasmine makes a soft cheese or two.

Wednesday 30th August

How To Please Dairy Cows – Simon Fairlie
Buying, Feeding, Inseminating, Calving, Rearing, Milking, Marketing, Healing, Aging, etc.

Willow weaving – Emma Finch
Learn how to make a beautiful willow flower

Food growing – Jasmine Hills
A tour around the kitchen and fruit gardens with Jasmine, Head Grower. Conversing and knowledge sharing on the whys and how’s of getting growing, basic composting, planning, and a chance to do some harvesting or garden maintenance.

Thursday 31st August

English Cheedar Style Cheese, Halloumi Style Cheese and Butter – Simon Fairlie and Jon Hill
Demonstrating how to make all of these with our own Jersey milk.

Wood carving – Lloyd Newman
From log to spatula – Learn the skills to make a kitchen implement from green / unseasoned wood. Covering material choice, splitting/cleaving and use of hand tools to carve what could become your favourite kitchenware!

Friday 1st September

Dairy Goat Course – Kerry and Oli Goolden
Kerry and Olly keep Golden Guernsey goats at Fivepenny Farm, two miles away and make some startlingly good cheese.

Heritage Grains – John Letts (AFTERNOON START – AFTER DAIRY GOAT COURSE)
John Letts explains about how to grow resilient populations of different varieties of heritage grains­wheat, spelt, rye and oats etc.

Evening Music – Joli Blon Cajun Band

Saturday 2nd September

Foraging – Mayla Westward
Mayla’s workshop will include a short introductory talk about the history of foraging, safety and sustainability, its relevance today and how Mayla got into foraging; followed by a walk to look at the local plants, trees and fungi and discuss their anthropogenic uses and dangers, such as edibility, medicinal value and which species are poisonous. Mayla’s workshops are based on the local biome.

Wool spinning & processing – Jared Hills, Elena Warby & Ellen Simon
Learn to hand spin wool using a wheel or drop spindle. Covering all the steps to process wool from fleece to yarn, carding, spinning, plying and finishing.

Leather work – Ruth Pullan (1PM START)
Learn the skills needed to be able to make and repair things in leather. We will focus on how to hand stitch leather, finish edges and attached small fittings by making a card purse in this introductory workshop.

Sewing – Keren Cornelius

Sunday 3rd September

Planning Permission – Simon Fairlie
Simon Fairlie answers questions about getting planning permission.

WET system of Waste Water Purification (Starts at 2pm) – Jay Abrahams
Monkton Wyld Court is more than pleased with the regenerative wastewater purification system that replaced our overloaded reedbed. It’s designer and builder Jay Abrahams of Biologic Design conducts a tour explaining how it works using permaculture design principles.

Fermentation/preserving/pickling – Simon Cox

Panel discussion with Jyoti Fernades & Simon Fairlie

Double-bass-oon (7PM)  
Laura Murphy who plays double bass in the London Philharmonic and Patrick Bolton, bassoon player give a talk about what it is like being young musicians in the top classical orchestras these days, and play Mozart’s Sonata in Bb for Bassoon and Cello, K92, followed by some more quirky material.

Evening Music – Rootweave

Haymaking
Early mornings, weather dependent

Yoga
Daily with Jasmine Hills