WEA courses

This course will examine Ireland’s unique contribution to twentieth century poetry in English. We will explore the work of two Nobel Prize winners, W.B. Yeats and Seamus Heaney, plus the work of Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice and Michael Longley. Additionally, we will refer in passing to poems by numerous other poets such as Paul Muldoon and Derek Mahon. We will analyse those elements which have contributed to Ireland’s distinctive contribution to world literature in the last 100 years, and discuss the relationship between a politically troubled history and creativity. There will be ample opportunities for discussion in what will be lively sessions.

Explore the creative possibilities of papercrafts with our Introduction to Papercrafts course. Learn techniques for creating beautiful and decorative paper items. Ideal for beginners looking to develop their papercrafting skills.

Join like-minded crafters and our enthusiastic tutor and create a range of beautiful gift bags and boxes, along with gorgeous personalised tags and decorative bows. This course is all about the gift wrapping and we will be making lovely gift boxes in a range of sizes – and with the formula I will share with you you can make them any size you wish! We will also be making gift bags in a variety of sizes all with matching gift tags and finished off with a handmade bow. Utilising the skills you already have and hopefully adding some new ones we will make our own festive wrapping, all matching and looking fabulous under the tree. Crafting is a fun and rewarding way to enhance your mental well-being, helping to manage the stress we often feel at this time of year. Come and join our friendly fun group and get crafting! This course is for beginners to paper-crafting and for those who are creating gift bags and boxes for the first time. More experienced crafters are of course welcome too.

All our Care2 courses are completely free for unpaid carers (or those who have previously been carers). You do not need to receive a carer's allowance to qualify. If you are unsure, please contact our call centre advisors who will be able to assist you. When you are constantly busy, stressed, overwhelmed, emotionally and energetically drained, yoga is quite possibly the last thing you feel like doing! But did you know that rather than taking more energy, the practice of yoga actually gives you more? It’s a great way to rest and revive, relieve the feeling of overwhelm, and work out the tension from your body that’s keeping you in a state of stress? Just a few minutes of gentle movement coordinated with your breath helps to calm the nervous system, quieten the mind, and allows all the systems of your body to work more efficiently. Most people don’t realise there are over one hundred different styles of yoga, so if you’ve tried a class before but felt it wasn’t for you, here’s your chance to try another! Chair yoga is a great way to enjoy many of the benefits of a mat-based practice without the need for equipment and props, or the ability to get up and down from the floor. It is a safe way for anyone living with a disability, or managing an injury or condition such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, or arthritis to improve balance, mobility, circulation, and energy, without putting strain on joints or vulnerable areas of the body

In this taster course, learners will begin by considering the many and varied sources of the Arthurian legend, in literature and other media, before focusing on the most famous and complete literary work in English on the Matter of Britain, Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. We will study examples from this extensive work, and explore Malory’s prose style and his use of late Middle English. No prior knowledge of Middle English is required, and the course is suitable for beginners and improvers.

The Victorian years saw unprecedented industrialisation which changed the face of Britain but also attitudes. Industrial developments were perceived as both positive and negative, but the countryside was viewed as a tradition, community and continuity. Yet images of the country, as well as the town, reveal the complexity of a society adapting to the modern world. Depiction of idyllic country scenes and grimy urban life reveal deep tension in Victorian society. This course will reveal that complexity and the contradictions which characterised the years 1837 to 1901 by examining paintings, engravings, photographs cartoons and the literature of the period.

This course aims to give you an introduction to a range of watercolour techniques such as layering, colour blending and creating textures, to gain basic skills and an insight into the possibilities of this exciting medium.  Come along and join fun in a relaxed and friendly environment. This course is a great chance to develop your skills and meet new people while creating something unique.

Fashion reflects the influence of politics, trade, social exchange and foreign encounter. In this course, we will explore the changing fashions of seventeenth-century Britain. Alongside sessions that consider the history of fashion are practical, hands-on sessions that explore the materials used, and construction techniques employed by makers of the period. You may not be an expert by the end, but you will have first-hand understanding of how, and with what, clothing of the 17th century was made.

Learn the art of botanical illustration with this course, designed for both beginners and experienced artists. Perfect for those with an interest in plants and the natural world.

This exciting new course in art appreciation provides close attentions to particular works of art from ancient and modern periods. Ancient art from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome; the European Renaissance; the Enlightenment and its derivations; twentieth-century Modernity; the present day. The focus will be upon the specific and often connected comprehensions of beauty and coherence through understanding specific works of art in relation to these concepts. The course will present a range of work each week and will select one part of the subject for a Close View for detailed attention. The focus will be upon works of art in relation to their sometimes specific and often varied concepts of beauty. This will encourage a range of attentions from ideal sculptures to presentations of works with planned proportions as well as incidental measurements. This will also involve attentions to both forms directly from the natural world to objects representing different aspects of humanity.