visitburnley

Offshoots is a permaculture projects located in the walled garden next to Towneley Hall.  An organic garden growing herbs, fruit, vegetables and flowers you can learn about recycling, composting and other permaculture techniques to make your own garden self-sustaining. Offshoots has surprises around every corner; from a sensory garden to the reed beds and pond which attract rare species of insects, sculptures carved from fallen trees to unusual buildings such as a cob oven, a greenwood cabin and a Mongolian yurt.

Since its opening Offshoots has built four eco-friendly buildings from natural materials, installing them with wind and solar power; reclaimed the neglected kitchen garden to grow crops which are sold in the local area; has run a successful food waste composting project; has set up a tree nursery which has been extended off site to allow mature trees to develop and works with allotment societies and community garden projects.

You can choose from various courses throughout the year at Offshoots from growing and preserving to Bach Flower Remedy workshops, but one of the most popular and  important courses is beekeeping which is linked to the Bees in the Borough project.

Bees in the Borough

This project is a practical and educational programme of reintroduction of our native honey bee and highlights the heritage of this highly threatened indigenous bee species. The Project aims to establish a thriving population of British Black Bee, expand the forage acreage for honey bees, train people in the skills of beekeeping, raise awareness of the plight of honey bees in general, establish nucleus colonies of Black Honey Bees for local people and create and establish a nursery production of bee forage plants.

Towneley Heritage and Woodland Day

As part of Burnley’s Heritage Open Days events Offshoots plays a big part in the Heritage and Woodland Festival offering visitors the chance to enjoy  willow weaving, wool spinning, chain saw sculpture, beekeeping, bread making in our new cob bench, story telling, face painting, dry stone walling and bodging! Great fun for all the family.