WEA courses

Come and join us to discover the fun and rewarding world of creating your own clothes! On this 10-week course, we will explore some of the essential sewing techniques needed to create some unique and personal garments. Discover how to use a sewing machine confidently and develop some technical skills such as measuring, inserting zips, adding piping and making darts plus using embellishing techniques to give your projects a professional and beautiful finish. As well as developing sewing skills, we will explore ways of creating clothes sustainably and ethically to reduce our impact on the environment and save money.

This is an introductory course to the country of Ukraine through its Arts, Literature, and Music, led by the experienced university lecturer, who used to visit Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, the world has admired the Ukrainian people, wondering what the sources of their valour and resilience are. This course will help you understand Ukraine and its people, put their culture in a historical perspective and provide some background to the current conflict in the region. The course is suitable for people of all abilities.

This course is perfect for anyone interested in home decor, crafting, or floral design. No prior experience is necessary, as our experienced tutor will give you a step-by-step guidance that will help you create a beautiful wreath that you can be proud of. By the end of this course, you'll have a completed an Autumn wreath to take home, along with the skills and inspiration to create stunning wreaths for any occasion throughout the year. Whether you choose to use faux or fresh flowers, you'll be equipped to make beautiful, lasting decorations for your home.

Elevate your sewing skills and get into the festive spirit with our intermediate to advanced sewing course. This hands-on sewing course is designed for experienced students who want to create beautiful and practical sewing projects for Autumn, Halloween, Christmas, and everything in between. You will explore advanced techniques and creative ideas to make unique seasonal decorations, gifts, and accessories that showcase your sewing prowess. Gain expertise in creating your own patterns or modifying existing ones to suit your creative vision. Master skills such as quilting, piping, and working with challenging fabrics like velvet and faux fur or any other fabric of your choice.

Do you want to learn the basics of watercolours? Have you tried before and given up in frustration? Why not join this course for support and encouragement? Watercolour, simply put, is water mixed with pigment which is then applied to paper. But painting with watercolours is something entirely different. It can be complex, confusing, and fun at the same time. While not a medium to be controlled or manipulated, part of the very beauty of working with watercolours is learning to let go! Come and join us to find out more.

Would you like to learn about art and at the same time practice your French? This course is for you! During ten weeks, we will discuss a series of topics related to art and culture. The course aims to enrich your knowledge of art history, develop your French vocabulary, and boost your confidence when speaking French. Please see the longer description for a list of the themes we will study. . Language skills: This is not a language course. To follow this course, it is desirable to have a good level in French (probably upper intermediate, or B2 and above). The group will be small and the atmosphere relaxed and tolerant. If your French is a bit rusty, it is OK! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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.

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.