RESIDENTS flocked to St George’s Church Hall on Portland to learn about living sustainably.

The first Portland Permaculture Fayre hosted a number of interesting guest speakers.

Permaculture is a global movement that provides a framework for developing sustainable and self-sufficient systems to grow food and support everyday living.

It focuses on three core ethical principles – care for the earth, care for the people, fair share.

Supported by the charity – Transition Town Weymouth and Portland – the Portland Permaculture club has been applying those principles through community gardening in the last year.

Amaick Ankers, a Portland resident, said the fayre was very helpful.

She added: “I think it has been really good and very busy and I am surprised by the amount of stalls. I have been given a lot of information today, I have a little allotment and have been given the knowledge on how to improve it.”

Agatha Rodgers, one of the event’s organisers, described where the idea for the fayre came from. She said: “Our group, the Portland Permaculture Club has been applying the permaculture principles through community gardening in the last year; but we wanted to go further than just doing gardening and, in the process of promoting our emerging club, we reached out to like-minded people in the locality.

“We were very encouraged by the response and therefore decided to organise the fayre to demonstrate the great potential of adopting permaculture principles- and how it can bring new life and hope for the future.”

We chose to hold it in the winter when people are not so busy in their gardens and may enjoy exchanging views, ideas and resources.”

She said she was pleased by the event’s turnout and believes it has helped to bring about a ‘sense of community’ to the island.

The event also attracted a number of guest speakers, who delivered talks on a number of different topics.

Maddy Harland, editor of Permaculture Magazine, spoke at the event and has been following the group’s community gardening project for the past year.

She said: “I was here a year ago for the start of the allotment project and have seen the local community transform an overgrown area into something productive for community.”

“There is certainly a taste for this on Portland. It is important to support local communities and come and share information.”

Councillor Paul Kimber was also asked to speak at the event about co-operatives and said he was happy to attend.

He added: “I am delighted that this event has been held on Portland and at how many people have come along.“If we think about the future of our land, this is what can be doing.”

There was also a variety of informative stalls set up at the fayre, with groups from Dorset Wildlife Trust, MEMO, the Dorset branch of Butterfly Conservation, Island Community Action and more.