Art & Culture Eco-Tourism Conservation Wayfield Nurseries is a 5 acre small holding located on a coastal plateau 130m above sea level on the South Devon Coast. The site is minutes walk away from a dramatic, picturesque stretch of the South West Coastal Path and some of the most spectacular sandy beaches in England. Current facilities on the site consist of six 30m polytunnels, two of which are covered, another two are currently being re-covered, one has been converted to keep chickens & ducks, and another a soft fruit cage. The site also has a borehole linked to a collector tank, mains water and electricity, a compost toilet and a static caravan which is used as a site office. The site is level and surrounded by earth banks and mature hedges. The land has been managed organically for more than 10 years. The present land use is agricultural and horticultural. A planning application is currently in process to re-develop Wayfield Nurseries into The High Nature Centre to allow for additional educational, recreational and rural business activities. The aim is to contribute to rural diversification by enabling additional revenue generating activities to be carried out on the site. This will be achieved by providing a passive-solar round house to be used as an activities centre, yurt camping facilities & low cost business start up space for local people. The aim is not only to enhance the visitor experience but provide a place for local people to develop their own rural enterprises, for example food processing/preserving, arts and crafts, textiles and wood working. The round house will provide the following: office facilities (including internet access), kitchen and washing facilities for craftspeople and volunteers, visitor information, light refreshments, reference books, a quiet meeting room which could also be used as an art gallery (for resident artists to show their work), and cool and dry storage space for food, seeds, tools and equipment. The round house will also provide an all-weather reception space for those arriving to stay in the yurt camp. Development plans also include the continuation of food production using sustainable agricultural methods, the introduction of more livestock, starting with increasing the poultry and duck breeds, introducing milking goats and potentially some rare breeds. There are also plans to develop a small online seed distribution business. The project aims to conserve, protect, and enhance wildlife habitats and geological and archaeological features. This will involve the introduction of wildflower meadows to attract bees and butterflies, and a wetland system. The aim is to increase the bio-diversity and productivity on the land and create a haven for both wildlife and visitors. The site will be made available for both local people and visitors to explore and learn about sustainable land management and coastal conservation. Seasonal educational courses focused on tradional arts and crafts will be on offer to those who visit the site. A small amount of high quality low impact accommodation for visitors will be made available in the form of yurts. The yurts will be hand built using natural materials and will provide visitors with a unique 'High Nature Experience' whilst they explore the project and the surrounding landscape. There is currently a fully furnished 20 foot yurt onsite which is available to view as a demonstartion yurt.
Bio-dynamic Polycultures - Wayfield Nurseries The High Nature Centre has been designed by Douglas Lane and Catherine Middleditch (known locally as Doug and Cat). Doug and Cat are both qualified Permaculturalists, Cat is also a qualified permaculture teacher. Together they have over 19 years worth of experience working and designing with nature. Catherine has been self-employed for 5 years. Her background is in art and design although she has always had a deep love for plants and animals. She originally trained as a Graphic Designer at Brighton University where she entered the web design industry in 2000. During this time she travelled to Eastern Europe (Croatia & Bosnia) with a small organisation providing much needed post war aid and entertainment. A trip through South East Asia to Australia provided her with experience working as an Account and Marketing Manager. She returned to the UK to work as a part-time lecturer at Kingston Art and Design College where she taught a National Diploma in Multi-media for 2 years whilst maintaining a foot in the industry working as a freelance designer. Experience in the media industry expanded from web design to motion graphics, DVD production, documentary film making and post production. After years of living and working in the London she discovered that many of the problems relating to sustainable living could be resolved through a permaculture approach and found herself being drawn towards designing with land instead of pixels. She is currently studying a National Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, and continues to work as a freelance multi-media designer. She is the Press Officer for King Edward VI Community College and produces their magazine and marketing material. Catherine also has experience in project management, event co-ordinating and working with children. She was employed to manage a 14 month educational food growing, poultry and composting project at King Edward VI Community College in 2010. Research trips to India, Australia and New Zealand along with hands on experience of working on the land have inspired her to co-design The High Nature Centre with her partner Douglas Lane. Douglas is also self-employed and currently works in the areas of woodland management, tree surgery, landscaping and rural crafts. Originally from a business and finance background, Doug spent his early years working as a press cutter. After years of working in and around London he discovered the benefits of organic food. This discovery took him from selling organic food to wholesale delivery and then onto setting up his own small veg box scheme. His love for organic food led him onto learning about how the food was grown. This knowledge and experience was gained through working on organic farms in both Australia and New Zealand where he also discovered the benefits of permaculture. Doug spent years working and studying in Australia alongside key permaculture designers Bill Mollison, David Holmgren and Geoff Lawton. His experience of permaculture design along with organic farming and rural skills training has provided Doug with a diverse range of practical skills, knowledge and experience including: sustainable woodland management, eco-building, hedge laying, green wood working, yurt building, humanure management, wild meadow establishment and after care and edible landscaping. Doug spent 3 years implementing the garden design and restoring the woodland at Rectory Barn, East Portlemouth. This included establishment of 3 areas of wildflower meadow, restoration of all hedgerows and the planting of over 1,000 trees on the 2 acre plot. Doug has qualifications in Sustainable Woodland Management and Land Based Operations. He is also the Tree Warden for East Portlemouth Parish. Green Woodworking workshop - Wayfield Nurseries
Some key points about the proposed initiative: The proposed initiative has been designed to be low key and low impact. The initiative will promote the Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the (South Devon) Heritage Coast through the use of interpretation materials such as maps, books, leaflets, guided walks, nature and marine trails. There will be specific information and activities linking the surrounding landscape to health and well-being. The low impact development has been designed to have minimal impact to the environment. The site itself is surrounded by mature banks and hedges meaning there is no detrimental impact on any public views. Every effort is being made to ensure that traffic increase will be kept to a minimum. This includes a marketing approach to attract those interested in walking and cycling, and incentives for those arriving by foot, bicycle or public transport. The education and creative activities planned are geared towards traditional rural arts and crafts and well-being such as: basket making, weaving, felt making, wood carving, hedge-laying, hurdle making, dry stone walling, shiatsu and reflexology. Most activities will take place onsite, with occasional offsite activities within the local area. All activities will be run by experienced craftspeople and qualified practitioners. The roundhouse will be the centre hub of the development and will provide essential kitchen and washing facilities as well as an all-weather shelter for artisans, craftspeople, day visitors, and those staying in the yurt meadow. It will also act as an information centre and provide a space for social integration for all users of the site. The roundhouse is of appropriate size considering a) it is single story, b) the materials proposed i.e thick straw bale walls for insulation, and c) its multiple uses as visitor/community space. The land will be managed using the principles of permaculture which consist of ecological, attitudinal, design and resource management principles. Small scale agriculture and horticulture will continue throughout the 5 acre plot but will be integrated with the wildlife conservational aspects of the project. The initiative will provide employment for at least 2 people in the first year with the aim to increase this as it progresses. The main aim of the project is to provide local people with the space and facilities to create their own employment. The polytunnels provide a fantastic space for anyone wishing to try out a new business idea. They are light, spacious and warm, and with a bit of imagination can be adjusted to extend the seasonal nature whilst maintaining horticultural use. The low impact temporary yurt accomodation will be of high quality and will be set in a beautifully landscaped setting. Each yurt is hand made using natural materials and furnished to a high standard. The yurt camp aims to attract young working families with an ethical interest. If you have any questions or queries regarding the proposed re-development please contact the Project Co-ordinator: Catherine Middleditch - email: cat@catmiddle.co.uk - telephone: 01548 843 085 - mobile: 07967 717 003 - skype: catmiddle.