Patrick was an early pioneer of permaculture and teacher for many years.
In the early 1990s permaculturists in the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere were mainly adapting Bill Mollison’s ideas from his books Permaculture: A Designer’s Manual and Introduction to Permaculture, written from an Australian perspective. Patrick emerged as a vital link between the ideas contained in Mollison’s teachings and the actual application of them into a cooler, maritime climate such as the British Isles. His teaching and writing were climate appropriate, practical and accessible. Patrick made permaculture relevant and accessible to a completely new audience.