Shift Bristol

24/09/2026

HERE WE GO AGAIN

Another September. Another fabulous cohort. Another epic year ahead on the Practical Sustainability Course 🌱

We're already in our fourth week, can you believe!

Hence us being quiet on these social platforms - so much to tend to off-screen 🐝

Featured here, getting mad for mapping at and 📐📏 📐

This Tuesday's trip to to learn about seed sovereignty and the history of seed saving not only through a geopolitical lens but also through poetry, painting and CELEBRATION.

Also featured, our day spent with beloved Bristol icon Mike Feingold at the Royate Hill Community Orchard and Allotment. Hearing stories of community resistance, herbalism and food justice. Seeing the fruits of trees, fruits of years of labour.

In between what these photos show, we've met amazing people. Been introduced to Permaculture, Commoning, traditional Global agricultural systems, Group Dynamics and Systems Thinking.

What a whirlwind!

Thank you to everybody who supported this course to run another year, whether via donating to our Crowdfunder or sharing this course with your networks. SHIFT, and the courses it runs, is a testament to what people power and community determination can achieve.

We are busy working behind the scenes, reinforcing this organisation with more equitable, sustainable, value-led infrastructure which will see SHIFT thrive into the future 💚

31/08/2026

🌱 TOMORROW, WE BEGIN!

We start our Practical Sustainability Course tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more excited! 💚

We’re welcoming new students to Shift Bristol for a year-long programme packed with hands-on learning, inspiring experiences and the opportunity to explore ecology and biomimicry.

From workshops and field trips to discussions, projects and learning from experienced practitioners, it’s going to be a brilliant year – and we can’t wait to get stuck in alongside our new students!

🌿 11 months of practical learning
🌍 Explore ecology & biomimicry
🤝 Learn alongside like-minded people
💡 Develop practical skills for a more sustainable future
🌱 Be part of a community creating positive change

And if you’re reading this thinking “I want to do that!”…

You can!

Applications for our 2027/28 course will open in spring next year. 🌱

Make sure you keep an eye out and get involved. It’s not one to miss!

👉 www.shiftbristol.org.uk/psc
📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]

28/08/2026

🌿 What if nature is the greatest teacher we have?

From the way a forest works together, to the way soil, plants, animals and microorganisms interact, nature has spent millions of years developing ways to adapt, regenerate and thrive.

So what can we learn from it?

Ecology and Biomimicry are just two of the fascinating areas explored through Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course.

🌱 Ecology invites students to look more closely at the relationships and connections within the natural world. You’ll learn to read landscapes and explore the relationships between soil, plants and animals, alongside practical learning such as soil sampling, composting and bio-brews.

🐝 Biomimicry takes that learning one step further. Instead of constantly trying to make nature fit our systems, what if we looked at nature for inspiration?

Students explore how living systems and nature’s core principles can inspire the design of products, processes and human systems that allow both people and the wider ecological community to thrive.

It’s about changing the question from:

“How can we solve this problem?”

to:

“How would nature solve it?” 🌍

This is what makes the PSC so different. It isn’t simply about learning about sustainability. It’s about getting outside, observing, experimenting, creating, questioning and understanding how the principles of nature can influence the way we live and design our future.

The Practical Sustainability Course brings together ecology, biomimicry, permaculture, hands-on learning, design, community and regenerative thinking across a full year of immersive learning.

🌿 Learn from nature.
🌱 Partner with nature.
🌍 Design for a more regenerative future.

Applications are still open.

👉 www.shiftbristol.org.uk/psc
📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]

27/08/2026

🥒🌱 FREE PERMACULTURE DESIGN SUPPORT 🌱🎃

Do you manage a land-based project in or near Bristol?

Our Permaculture Design Course students are looking for sites of up to five acres to work with during late October and November.

A team will visit your site and develop practical recommendations for improving soil, productivity, biodiversity, collaboration or income.

You’ll receive their final presentation around 12 December, reviewed by experienced tutors.You’

ll need to provide access for up to five students, a stakeholder interview, soil-sampling permission, shelter and toilet facilities.

📅 Apply by 4 October 2026

✅ Sites confirmed by 10 October

👀 More information: https://shiftbristol.org.uk/design-projects

🔗 Apply here : https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdbuzY1tEZX7u1upbk4kIg9Yp13d6d4l475JrUOEvmFg471Mw/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=116484106926156552653

📩Questions: [email protected]

24/08/2026

💚 “It’s been an amazing year. You should do it too!”

Sometimes, there really isn’t much more that needs to be said.

Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course is about learning, doing, connecting and discovering new ways to make a difference. And after 11 months of hands-on workshops, field trips, design projects, discussions and shared experiences, it’s no surprise that graduates look back on their year with such enthusiasm.

🌱 Learn practical sustainability skills
🌍 Explore ecology, food systems and community resilience
💡 Develop systems thinking and innovative problem-solving skills
🤝 Learn alongside like-minded people and 40+ experienced practitioners
🌿 Build the confidence and capabilities for a meaningful career in sustainability

With 16+ years of delivery and more than 1,000 graduates, the course has helped people take their next steps into sustainability, education, community development and beyond.

So, if you’re wondering whether you should apply…

“It’s been an amazing year. You should do it too!”

Maybe it’s time to SHIFT YOUR LIFE. 🌱

📅 September 2026 – July 2027
⏰ Part-time, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays
🎓 No assessments
🌿 40+ expert tutors

Applications are now open.

👉 www.shiftbristol.org.uk/psc
📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]

21/08/2026

🌱 Why choose Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course?

The PSC isn’t just about learning new skills, it’s about changing how you see yourself, your community and the world around you. 💚

Here’s what makes it so special:

✨ 88% of alumni reported a positive change in their personal identity, confidence or wellbeing.

🧠 82% reported improved mental health and a stronger sense of purpose after completing the course.

🌍 Turn knowledge into action, the PSC gives people the practical tools and confidence to take climate action into their own hands and create measurable environmental change.

💷 £1.4 million+ reinvested into Bristol’s green economy, supporting local educators, communities and environmental projects.

And perhaps most importantly… 💚 people describe the PSC as one of the most significant educational experiences of their lives.

This is sustainability you don't just learn about. You live it, practise it and take it with you. 🌿

Ready to find out more?

👉 www.shiftbristol.org.uk/psc
📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]

20/08/2026

STOP RESEARCHING THE SOLUTIONS, START BECOMING ONE

"Doing the SHIFT Course...gives you the thinking tools, it'll re-wire your brain in a way that makes it appropriate for the years we're moving into...it's the best gift you could give yourself and the future." Rob Hopkins

A great endorsement from Rob Hopkins, who works tirelessly to improve life for ourselves and future generations.

This fantastic Practical Sustainability Course has lead to so many incredible permaculture projects across the UK and beyond. As Rob says, it rewires your barin, and you won't learn this anywhere else.

There are still a few spaces left on this life-changing course, and the bursary fund is still open until Thursday 20th August, 10am.

The PSC course is often described as a Foundation Year in practical sustainability, bringing together over 40 experienced practitioners to explore ecology, food systems, community resilience, systems thinking, and personal development.

Designed as a transition pathway into meaningful sustainability-focused careers, the course equips participants with practical, real-world capabilities across:

🐝 Systems thinking
❤️‍🔥 Food systems & land-based skills
🌱 Energy and resource awareness
📢 Community leadership

Course details:
🤸🏽‍♂️ 11-month programme: September 2026 - July 2027
🤸‍♂️ Part-time (Tues, Weds & Thurs)
🤸🏽‍♂️ 40+ Tutors - all with lived experience
🤸‍♂️ Zero assessments

With 16+ years of delivery, the course has more than 1,000 graduates and has supported many into meaningful careers across sustainability, education, and community development.

Find out more and apply: https://shiftbristol.org.uk/psc

18/08/2026

🌱 Additional bursaries now available for the Practical Sustainability Course.

At Shift Bristol, we've always been committed to making our programmes as accessible as possible through our sliding-scale fee structure and concessionary places.

This year, thanks to the generosity of our community, we're able to go one step further.

Thanks to donations from our Crowdfunder, together with a generous gift from a supporter of Shift, we've created an additional bursary fund for people who already qualify for our Full Concession Fee, but for whom the remaining course fee would still make attending impossible.

We know that even with significant concessions, some people continue to face financial barriers to accessing learning. These bursaries are designed to help remove those final barriers.

If you believe you may be eligible, we'd love to hear from you.

Applications are now open.

Deadline for applications: 20th August
All bursaries will be assigned by: 24th August

🌿 Bursary Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScmAHojVEegzlUVL3-gBoXEJ_CO5hCemR9kt_RFNi4Xd0P8yA/viewform

Together, we're helping ensure that access to transformative sustainability education is shaped by people's passion and potential, not simply by what they can afford.

📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]

Thank you for your interest in applying for a Community Access Bursary. These bursaries have been made possible through the generosity of our supporters and are intended to provide additional financial assistance for applicants who already qualify for our Full Concession Fee, but for whom the remain...

18/08/2026

🌱 JUST TWO WEEKS TO GO!

The countdown is on… and soon, a new group of changemakers will begin Shift Bristol’s Practical Sustainability Course (PSC). 💚

The PSC is a year of hands-on workshops, outdoor learning, field trips, practical projects and working alongside experienced tutors and practitioners.

From growing food, woodland management and permaculture design to green building, renewable energy, soil and ecology, crafts and community engagement, the PSC covers an incredible range of practical sustainability skills.

And it gets seriously hands-on… students will get stuck into everything from tree pruning and seed saving to composting, greenwood craft, living willow and land restoration, with the course culminating in a 10-day roundhouse build. 🪵🌿

Whether you're looking for a new direction, want to reconnect with land and people, or simply want to learn how to create positive change, this could be the start of something pretty special.

💚 The next chapter starts soon.

Find out more about the Practical Sustainability Course:
shiftbristol.org.uk/psc

📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]

13/08/2026

🌱 1. Learn practical skills that you can use for life

This isn't a classroom-based course, it's a hands-on learning experience. You'll gain real-world skills in organic food growing, natural building, woodland management, renewable energy, herbal medicine, forest gardening, green woodworking and much more, all taught through workshops, field trips and practical projects.

🌍 2. Be taught by over 40 experts in their field

The PSC is delivered by more than 40 experienced tutors and practitioners who are actively working in sustainability, permaculture and regenerative projects. You'll learn directly from people putting these ideas into practice every day, making the teaching relevant, inspiring and grounded in real experience.

🤝 3. Join a supportive community that lasts beyond the course

One of the biggest benefits of the PSC is becoming part of the Shift community. Throughout the year you'll work alongside like-minded people, collaborate on projects and build lasting friendships and professional networks. Many former students describe the course as life-changing because of the people they meet and the confidence they gain.

🌿 4. Discover a new direction and build confidence

Whether you're considering a career change, looking for more purpose, or simply wanting to learn something meaningful, the PSC is designed to help you discover your strengths, passions and future pathway. The course encourages personal growth alongside practical learning, empowering you to turn ideas into action.

🌎 5. Be part of creating a more sustainable future

The Practical Sustainability Course is about much more than individual skills, it's about learning how to create positive change for communities and the planet. Through permaculture design, collaborative projects and regenerative thinking, you'll gain the knowledge and confidence to make a genuine difference wherever life takes you.

🌍 Find out more: www.shiftbristol.org.uk/psc
📩 Email Kizzie: [email protected]