WEA courses

This course will give you an outline of the history of urban and suburban housing in Britain over the last 200 years. As Britain’s industrial cities expanded, thousands of people wanted somewhere suitable to live. For the expanding middle classes of clerks, bankers and other professionals, this meant a respectable home to buy or rent. We will explore how how the expansion of the railways led to the development of suburbs as workers could travel further to their workplace. We will see how the aspiration of owning one’s own home became achievable with the development of building societies and how Britain became a home-owning society.

The last 50 years of the Ottoman Empire continues to drive current events and politics in Europe and the Middle East. In this course we consider the events, characters and forces that lead to its breakup including the modernisation attempts of the ‘Young Turk’ movement, the Balkan Wars of 1912-13, The Great War (including the Arab Revolt, the Armenian Genocide and the Turkish War of Independence. We finish by considering the rise of the new secular state of Turkey and the legacy of the Ottomans and why a century after its end the Ottoman Empire is still relevant throughout southeastern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

This course offers an exploration into the craft of junk journaling- a creative process that turns everyday items and discarded materials into beautiful, personalised journals. Junk journals are more than just notebooks; they are expressive, tactile creations that tell a story, preserve memories, and serve as a safe place for emotional expression. Alongside creating these unique journals the course will look into methods of collecting, organising and storing ephemera - the small pieces of paper, fabric or objects that make each journal personal and truly unique. On this course we will look at: The concept, history and purpose of junk journals. Where to find materials How to make embellishments for inclusion in our journals. Page layouts and focal point placement. No prior experience is necessary – just a love of creativity and a desire to learn new skills along with some basic paper-crafting supplies.

Essex museums are full of wonderful and sometimes surprising objects. This course takes a selection of objects looked after in museums all over the county and uses them as sources for learning about everyday life in Essex in the past. Covering a range of themes and times the course will also give you some ideas for places to visit in your own time.

This course will present an overview of painting and drawing in connection with inspiring examples in art history. It will help you learn classical techniques, and contemporary artists (such as David Hockney, Gerhard Richter or Anselm Kiefer). If you would like to have a fresh view of painting and drawing and learn how to achieve expressivity by carefully combining techniques, this course will offer you an overview and will inspire personal artworks of great subtlety and sensitivity. A variety of media will be explored, from acrylics to watercolour or pastels and more. You will need to bring your own art materials.

Every famous trial is a snapshot of history in the making. We see the cast of characters strutting on the stage that is the court room, acting out their roles against the backdrop of forces that are often beyond their control - the letter of the law, the power of the state, the force of prejudice, the facts of the case. Their focus is the outcome of 'their' trial, but ours is more than that; why is this trial famous, how did it change things, what lessons does it teach us? Join Peter Blood to study the people, issues and outcomes in four famous trials from British history, with a view to understanding their political, social and legal significance.

Discover for the first time, or re-visit an old favourite, this course will introduce you to a wide range of artworks from the national collection of Tate Britain in London. We explore specific works by historical, modern and contemporary artists in relation to wider cultural and social contexts. The aim of the course is to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking at and discussing art in London’s galleries. On this course, we examine work by prominent artists as diverse as Anthony Van Dyck, Joan Carlile, William Blake, JMW Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Gwen John, Mona Hatoum and Mike Kelly.

See images and hear about the history of three of Cleethorpes’ entertainment venues. The Empire Theatre is now an amusement arcade, so does anything of its former life exist today? The Coliseum Cinema building is now a Wetherspoons public house on Cleethorpes High Street, but what was its history prior to this? The Theatre Royal is sadly an eyesore and the site is awaiting further development, but what was this site used for before and after its theatre days? Join us on an adventure through time and discover local treasures from a bygone age. Suitable for anyone with a little curiosity.

By the 1930s there were three competing ideologies: Liberal Democracy, Soviet Communism and Fascism.. the latter in various national forms. Broadly the first two accepted the status quo and the latter in Japan, Germany and Italy were determined on revision. This set the scene for the ensuing conflicts in the Pacific and Europe. The course will examine how and why the world went to war during the 1930s. We will look at the role of individuals and consider how much difference it made that it was Hitler or Mussolini in charge rather than someone else. We will examine how it took time for the USA to emerge from isolation and how that tipped the balance when she did.

Welcome to the ESOL Entry Level course, specifically designed for newcomers to the UK! This six-week program, hosted at the Digital Skills Hub in Boscombe, provides essential language skills and cultural knowledge to help you thrive in your new environment. Whether you’re aiming to settle into daily life, seeking employment, or looking to build your confidence in English, this course is your gateway to success. Course Structure: The course is structured into interactive sessions, combining classroom instruction with practical exercises. Each week, you will participate in engaging activities, group discussions, and real-world practice. Our experienced instructors will support you every step of the way, ensuring that learning is both enjoyable and effective.