Perma-Blitz
Perma – from permaculture, a design system for sustainable living. A permablitz is organised to implement a permaculture design. Blitz – is the German word for a lightning strike. A permablitz involves the focused application of energy to install part of a permaculture system. When lightning strikes it heats the air around it making the nitrogen in the air absorbable in water. So the nitrogen dissolves in the rain, which fertilizes the ground where it falls. This is just what a permablitz is designed to do: create a fertile soil where plants can grow.
Permablitzing is based on the principle of reciprocity:
once you have helped at a few permablitzes you can have one in your own space
A permablitz involves a group of people meeting up for the day to:
Typically, create or develop a community or household edible, wildlife-friendly garden, according to a permaculture design. Permablitzes can also involve sustainable non-food growing projects. For example, eco-friendly builds such as making compost toilets or retro-fits of existing homes as well as growing fibre for clothes or planting for fuel.
Learn about permaculture and gardening through skills shares and mini-workshops
Build community networks
Share some good food and have lots of fun
They are free to come along to.
Upcoming Events
with an EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT: £500 with code PDC-DISCOUNT until 15th April 2026
7 weekends:
16th/17th May
13th/14th June
11th/12th July
12th/13th September
3rd/4th October
7th/8th November
28th/29th November
This Permaculture Design Certificate (PDC) course will cover permaculture ethics, ecological principles and design tools, methods and skills. These will be applied to a broad range of topics. For example, retrofitting houses to reduce water usage, waste and improve energy-saving and efficiency; designing gardens and public land to both produce food and improve local biodiversity and natural habitats; developing positive intergenerational community connections by recognising the best in people and drawing on their diverse strengths.
The course will have a strong emphasis on practical application of ideas. After completion of the course PDC attendees will be able to have permablitzes to instal their designs.
This course is certificated by the Permaculture Association UK
Venues
The course will run at Cecil Sharp House (NW1 7AY) and Kentish Town City Farm (NW5 4BN) with visits to other permaculture sites in London
Trainers
The training will be delivered by Kayode Olafimihan, Hugh Livingstone, Susannah Hall & Matt Phillpott of Permablitz London with guest instructors
Kayode Olafimihan is a permaculture designer and teacher who has created over 20 permaculture designs. He is the founder of Permablitz London and chair of the London Permaculture Network. He has designed two permaculture Learning and Demonstration projects in London: the award-winning garden for grade II listed Cecil Sharp House in Camden, London and the Josiah Braithwaite Community Garden for African Caribbean elders and the culturally diverse local community for the Nubian Life Centre in West London. He co-designed the community gardens at Northwick Park Community Garden, Battersea Arts Centre Community Garden and London’s Community Kitchen with Susannah Hall. He is also overall coordinator of the annual London Permaculture Festival.
Hugh Livingstone is a permaculture designer, trainer and founding member of Permablitz London. He teaches on Permablitz London’s certificated permaculture design training, and the urban eco-refurbishment and climate workshops that are part of our ecological permaculture educational programme.
He provides consultancy to help people integrate home and garden through permaculture designs and also teaches how to raise poultry in the city and their integration into the household economy.
Susannah Hall won Camden in Bloom best mini-garden 2021 for her permaculture balcony garden that included over thirty different edible plants and as many producing flowers with nectar and pollen. She also used her balcony to keep four quails and do natural dyeing. She is a permaculture designer, teacher and organiser for Permablitz London. She has co-designed the community gardens at Northwick Park Community Garden, Battersea Arts Centre and London’s Community Kitchen. She has also designed spaces for other community and private gardens and coordinates the annual London Permaculture Festival.
Matt Phillpott completed his Permaculture Design Certificate in 2023 with Permablitz London and Northwick Park Community Garden and has since taught the Introduction to Permablitz Design course and spoken at the London Permaculture Festival.
His permaculture designs focus on integrating animals including chickens and quails into food production and developing domestic no-waste food systems. Matt is also an independent educator and designer of online learning for various universities and companies and a historian, mostly studying the history of honeybees and food.
Permablitz London
Since 2013 Permablitz London has developed a flourishing mutual-support network through which people of all levels of experience collaborate to design and instal edible, wildlife-friendly permaculture systems across London through permablitzes. Permablitzes are free days open to all which teach permaculture design in action through implementing a design for each garden. Once you have helped at several (usually three) you can have one for your own private or community space. Since its inception Permablitz London has done 100+ permablitzes involving over 1,000 people of all ages and cultures. It has established 8 outdoor classroom gardens across London.
Permablitz London is about connecting people with each other and with the land
King Charles and Camilla Queen Consort visited Paddington Garden at London's Community Kitchen in December 2022. The garden was designed by Kayode Olafimihan and Susannah Hall from Permablitz London and installed through a permablitz with 65 people in November 2022
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla opened Paddington Garden at London's Community Kitchen. The garden was designed by Kayode Olafimihan and Susannah Hall from Permablitz London and installed through a permablitz with 65 people in November 2022
Sadiq Khan visited Paddington Garden in November 2022 and planted an apple tree.
In June 2018 the permablitz at Nubian Life Centre was filmed for BBC 2 Gardeners' World. It was shown a few weeks later.
Cecil Sharp House Garden in 2014 won Camden in Bloom Best Entrance Garden having been installed through a permablitz in March 2014. The design was prepared by Kayode Olafimihan.
This was our second ever permablitz in September 2013. We laid down a lasagne mulch at Glengall Wharf Garden in South-east London. The area we mulched is now a thriving food forest
Permablitz London founder, Kayode Olafimihan designed a section of Forest Farm Peace Garden, Hainault to demonstrate native forest garden planting, funded by Kew's Grow Wild. Here he is explaining the design and demonstrating the signage.
Cecil Sharp House, the home of English Folk Dance and Song Society asked Kayode Olafimihan to design the rest of the garden, which was installed through permablitzes in 2015 and 2016.
The Cecil Sharp House garden became a feast for pollinators! Kayode Olafimihan's low-maintenance permaculture design was inspired by the folk adage: one for the birds, one for the bugs and one for me.
Over sixty people came together to launch Northwick Park Community Garden in May 2019, now a thriving food forest. It is one of Permablitz London's showcase projects and an outdoor classroom
At a permablitz in 2014 we created large raised beds outside Glyndon Community Centre
Everyone contributes at a permablitz. This permablitz in July 2023 transformed a section of Kentish Town City Farm with plants from a sensory, edible garden from Hampton Court Flower Show. The city farm is one of Permablitz London's showcase projects and an outdoor classroom.
A permablitz built new raised beds for the permaculture dye garden at Morley College in May 2022. The dye garden is used on the natural dye course run at the college so students can see the plants growing and use them to dye fabrics.