Silent Haven, Devon

Silent Haven promotes the conservation of Nature and mental health. We hope that we can inspire Nature enthusiasts and those who are ambivalent to deepen their connection with the natural environment and think more about sustainability issues. The Retreat is available for private stays and one to one counselling sessions. Jules (BA FdA) is a professional artist and qualified Integrative counsellor with degrees from St Martins School of Art and Worcester University. Qualifications and experience also in Permaculture Design and a diploma in Herbalism. Please see website for more details: www.silenthaven.org

We base our live work style on the principles of permaculture, which is a systematic approach to sustainability rather than a science. Energy-efficiency is key to permaculture. Living and working in the same place is seen as highly energy-efficient (most obviously it cuts down on commuting), if the building itself is highly sustainable, which ours is. Our self-built working home has no permanent foundations and is heated purely by a wood-burner. Wood although creating Co2 is a primary fuel source, carrying a weight of sustainability against secondary fuel sources e.g. electricity from wind power which can create more Co2 when wider infrastructures are considered. We harvest rainwater for washing and washing up etc, and we have gravity fed borehole water for drinking. We use a compost toilet -after two years the composted human manure is fine to use on fruit bushes and increases their yield. Integration is key to our life-work style. This means that a lot of the things we do have more than one function, and may serve lifestyle, business and Nature conservation all at once. We see this as an appropriate way to conserve energy and enable Nature conservation as a way of life. One example: Scything grass;
Function 1) Allows access to fruit bushes and trees
Function 2) Clears ground and takes nutrients away from the ground to allow propagation of wild flower meadow areas for wildlife, (especially bees and butterflies)
Function 3) Provides mulch for vegetable patch
Function 4) Provides organic carbon matter for compost bins
Such connection with our nature is deeply healing an ideal place to investigate ongoing mental health issues. We also wish to develop our educational capacity, eventually running short courses and events to teach the public about low impact development and permaculture in a mixed woodland, mixed habitat context. Additionally, anyone is welcome to get in touch and anyone is welcome to arrange a time to visit for a cup of tea. jules.silenthavendevon@gmail.com