Name:
Fran Pickering
Position:
Diploma Tutor and a course convenor and tutor, Forest Garden Plot coordinator (1 of 5)
About Fran:
Fran completed her Permaculture design course with BPT in 2002/3. And has been a member of the management team since its dissolution in 2020. During that time, she was a trustee for 5 years.
Fran spent 3 years qualifying as a site carpenter and received her diploma in Permaculture Design in 2009, her teaching qualification in 2013, and has been a member of BPT’s teaching faculty since then.
Her main areas of interest are in community building, education, good food and nutrition for all, and building greener homes.
Fran leads regular volunteer days at our Permaculture plot in Stanmer Park and teaches the Practical permaculture gardening course.
Name your permaculture hero? Why them?
My heroes are:
Aranya Gardens because he is just such a lovely example of living a better life and bringing people in.
Bill Mollison for giving me his humour, vision and his principles.
Bryn Thomas for daring to dream of an orchard city.
Morag Gamble and Rosemary Morrow for their open hearted generosity to humanity and the people of permaculture, and for making it OK to be heard.
What is your favourite permaculture principle:
It varies, as I like to take time to really focus on one for a time, until it is really embedded, but currently “Beneficial connections”, as it is so creative and important to the cohesion of the whole and all the possibilities it brings.
Best example of permaculture in action?
Best example of permaculture in action in my life, is my natural swimming pond. It has quadrupled our biodiversity, our habitat, become a centre point for people care at home and in our wider community.