WEA courses

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. Would you like to learn a little British Sign language whilst singing and signing along to some favourite Christmas Carols and popular songs? This course is a follow on from the hugely popular first course that ran at the Reading Rooms last year. You do not need to have attended the first course to participate on this one. Join guest tutor Debbie Young at the Reading Rooms in Billericay on this fun and interactive one-off free course for carers, their companions, supporters e.g. volunteers/staff and former carers as part of the Care 2 delivery. If you have an interest in learning a new language but aren’t sure about signing, come along to this fun session to learn more about BSL and deaf culture.

Join us on this interesting online taster, where we will look at Christmas food through the ages, the traditions that lie behind it, and how it has changed, along with a few recipes that you may (or may not) want to try. This short session is an extract from the 10-week "Cookery through the Ages" course which will run in 2024.

Christmas is here but if you don’t have room for a tree or you just want new decoration for the year try your hand at a beautiful 12 inch star created out of wooden skewers and string, Paint and then sprinkled with glitter or snow and add beautiful mini lights to make it sparkle.

Gnomes’ gnomes and more gnomes what’s not to love create Using felt and hand stitching use your imagination and create your own gnomes to match your Christmas colour scheme or personalise them for gifts. Its not an expensive project to do but can be so much fun to create

The Christmas story has probably inspired more art than any other subject. From medieval icons of the Virgin and Child to the Renaissance paintings of the shepherds and the wise men; and from stained glass windows to Christmas cards, the story has been at the forefront of western art. This study day will examine the historicity of the gospel stories and how they have been interpreted by artists through the centuries. A wide range of art will be shown and there will be space for discussion and for learners to offer their own suggestions and experiences.

If you find the Festive season challenging or lonely, or you just need to have a break from all the chaos and the bad TV, join tutor Jane Williams, who will break up Christmas Day with this fun and interesting look at the 12 days of Christmas Carol. She will go through each of the gifts given on each of the Twelve Days, according to the carol, and see how one might celebrate them in food. So join Jane on the 25th of December for this one off online session.

Learn to create ecological friendly Christmas tags, decorations and boxes using the oriental craft of origami.

This time of year, means different things to different people and yet the experience of hope and renewal in dark times is a universal theme. We will share our memories of this time and, as one memory sparks another, we can reflect on them together. These reflections could touch upon the nature of memory, on culture and identity, or on finding hope in difficult times. There is no need to be a good 'story-teller' as the memories shared will be short, snapshots of lives lived.The aim is to be inclusive as possible and accommodate those with some hearing difficulties.

This course will explore the enduringly popular Welsh poet and writer, Dylan Thomas’ radio broadcast ‘A Child’s Christmas in Wales.’ The session will introduce Thomas’ life, his memories of Swansea Christmases, and the extravagance of his style and the vividness of his recreation of a child’s Christmas before the Second World War. Whether one knows the work of Dylan Thomas or not, the course will introduce you to a unique voice, which is accessible and urgent and will unlock your own memories of past Christmases. The course will provoke lively discussions and the sharing of thoughts and memories as we examine the work.

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. If you find Christmas stressful, why not treat yourself or a loved one to a gift of health and wellbeing? Have you ever been interested in helping yourself holistically? This course will take you through the fascinating art of reflexology where we will explore the roots and history of this amazing subject.