WEA courses

This art therapy course is designed to support individuals seeking to improve their mental wellbeing, confidence, and self-esteem through creative expression. No prior artistic experience is required—only a willingness to explore and connect with your inner self. Participants will engage in guided art activities that encourage self-reflection, stress reduction, and personal growth in a safe and supportive environment. Led by experienced facilitators, the course combines creative techniques with therapeutic practices to help participants express emotions, build resilience, and develop a deeper sense of self-worth. Join us to unlock the healing power of art and rediscover your inner strength.

This 10-week course traces the radical changes in European art from 1850 to the mid-1880s. Beginning with Millet and Courbet’s realist challenge to academic traditions, we’ll explore how artists like Manet, Monet, and Degas revolutionised painting through new techniques, subjects, and compositions. As they did so, they often shocked the audience. Examining the social, political, and technological changes that fuelled these movements, we’ll uncover how modern art emerged in response to things such as modern urbanism, the development of the press, fashion and shopping, but also the invention of photography and commercialisation of the paint tube.

This Art for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course is a 5-week watercolour painting course for anyone wanting to learn or improve their painting skills. You will learn how to draw and paint within a group of like-minded people. Guidance and support are offered throughout the course from our talented tutor, to develop your artistic skills. You will also have the opportunity to connect with and support others in a friendly classroom environment and improve your English conversational skills. No previous skills in watercolours are needed to join this group.

This is the fifth course of six aimed at Upper Intermediate (B2) level learners of English. This five-week course is for those whose first language is NOT English and we will practice all four major skills in each session to further develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Lessons will be delivered in a face-to-face setting using a range of teacher led and freer interactive activities to develop learners’ proficiency and confidence. In addition to a focus on general pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary, students will be encouraged to focus on colloquial English and develop an awareness of the local English being used in their contexts.

Learn to use digital devices and gain essential computer skills for professional and personal use. Digital training helps you move with the times and not get left behind. This beginner’s course is for anyone who wants to learn digital skills, no matter your current knowledge. This course is appropriate for complete beginners, so don’t worry if this is all new to you. Learn to use word processing software and fill out online forms in this Digital Skills course. Understand how to use email and search for information online. This digital skills training also teaches you how to shop online securely. You’ll understand online safety and data storage

This course gives students - form improvers to intermediate - the opportunity to explore different painting approaches, techniques and subjects and find their own style. Our highly experienced tutor, who is a practicing artist, provides practical and supportive advice on colour mixing, composition and tonal variation, encouraging students to explore their own personal enthusiasms to make individual and highly original paintings. Photographs and other sources will be provided but students may use their own photos and objects. Step-by-step demonstrations help students learn the skills and techniques necessary to be able to paint more confidently.

During this five week course you will discover the significant connections that exist between garden design and literature. Through an examination of gardens and literature, we will establish the history, philosophical, aesthetic and political ideas which underpin gardens and the literature generated by them. Gardens are as you will realise our dangerous and incendiary things. The course will be supported by images and extracts on Canvas, which aim to enrich your understanding of a fascinating period. Each week will focus on a number of gardens or design movements and literary extracts, which will be analysed and discussed. Come along and enjoy a lively and informative exchange of views.

This course gives students the opportunity to explore and experiment with different acrylic painting approaches and techniques in abstract painting. The aim is to give students the skills and confidence to make individual and original paintings.

This ten-week course will present and explore a range of classical mythology and other traditions of myth by traveling through its different traditions paying particular attention to solar deities. Over the course of these sessions we will consider how the subject matter, style and context of texts and writers from a range of diverse mythologies contain and harness the sun in their ideas in ways that continue to powerfully impact on us in the modern world. We will examine the historical and literary specifics of each text and writer individually and as part of a collective tradition, along with reference to quality critical resources on the role, meaning and purpose of myth more widely. The sessions will combine close reading and audio-visual materials with lively, inclusive and hopefully invigorating discussion. Whether you are just coming into the world of classical and other mythologies or have been interested in these worlds for some time you will be welcome along to these sessions.

This course explores the therapeutic power of poetry, offering a creative and reflective space for self-expression and emotional healing. Designed for beginners, it introduces simple poetic techniques to help process thoughts, reduce stress, and boost mental wellbeing. Through guided exercises, reading inspiring poems, and sharing in a supportive environment, participants will develop confidence in expressing themselves while gaining tools for mindfulness and self-care. No prior writing experience is needed—just an open mind and a willingness to explore creativity. By the end of the course, students will have a personal collection of poems and a deeper connection to their emotions.