CLASSES - WOODWORK, GARDENING, FRUIT-TREE AND WOODLAND CARE, GARDENING AND HEALTHCARE

What skills would you need if you were going to live as sustainably as possible? That's the theme for all of my courses - they're all about using hand tools, growing food and making everything you need locally with local materials, building up resilient local networks, re-designing the things and systems we use creatively...

Designing and making a couple of shelving projects from scratch at Inverquiech

For the last few years, I've been running courses mostly at two venues, Perth Community Farm, and with Kate Everett at Inverquiech Farm. They're quite different, Perth Community Farm is just a few blocks from the city centre, while Inverquiech is well off the beaten track near Alyth. Both are excellent venues in their own way and wonderful places to visit.

Inverquiech is in an idyllic woodland setting just by the confluence of the Alyth Burn and the River Isla

I've been teaching Woodwork, Gardening, Fruit Tree Pruning and Woodland Management, Compost Making, also various complementary healthcare techniques and at the moment (July 2025) am in the process of adding new courses in creativity and making simple musical instruments for fun.

A lot of my teaching is for complete beginners - in the woodwork classes I really enjoy seeing women and men, often with no previous experience at all, make something from scratch they can take home. Brilliant!

A class clutching their projects outside the Inverquiech workshop

I have millions of photos from all the eco projects I've worked on over the years and am always delighted to give put together slide shows and talks on the practical nuts and bolts of sustainable living.

Early eco days pruning olive trees with Janet and Clive in Portugal

Me and Ruth outside the LogCabivan with Silver 

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DETAILS OF  MY CURRENT EVENTS VIA EVENTBRITE HERE

RISK ASSESSMENT

at Perth Community Farm, Jeanfield Road, Perth PH1 1PG
and Inverquiech Farm, By Alyth

It's good for all visitors to any farm/workshop setting to practise common sense! I do point out hazards for woodworking, pruning and gardening as we go as well though.

Course Leader: Ian Watt
WOODWORK OVERVIEW

A carefully supervised introduction to basic woodworking for complete beginners. Hand tools only: measuring, marking out, using hand saws, cordless drills, screws, hammers, nails.
HAZARDS
Cuts from saws, edge of tape measure, knives. Wrist strain from drills.
Bruising from hammers. Splinters from handling wood. Burns from hot tool bits.
EXISTING CONTROLS
Course participants will be shown how to use tools and handle wood safely, and will be made aware of the various hazards. They will be carefully supervised to make sure that they have understood how to use the various tools safely in practice. A fully charged mobile phone will be carried by the instructor. A first aid kit will be on hand.
FURTHER CONTROLS REQUIRED

WELFARE FACILITIES
Toilet at farm. Handwashing facilities in polytunnel.