Looking to banish the winter blues? GIANINA TURNER finds some classes and activities that might inspire you this year
Music
Music and singing are fun – they make people feel happy, even on cold, rainy days. The Show Choir is the country’s fastest growing musical theatre choir and runs several choirs in the region. One Show Choir group meets at Downend Folk House on Mondays 7:30-9 pm and another at the Keynsham Community Space on Wednesdays 7:30-9 pm. Other locations include Westbury-on-Trym Village Hall, Clifton, Southville and Bath.
To find out more details and to book a free trial, visit: www.ukshowchoir.com
Creative writing
Whether you are new to writing or fancy trying your hand in a new genre, this could be a good time to put pen to paper and let your thoughts and ideas develop into poems or stories. Marie Day runs weekly workshops at local venues: at Lincombe Barn in Downend on Thursday 1-2.30 pm, and at St John’s Parish Hall in Keynsham on Tuesdays 12-1.30 pm. An award-winning writer, Marie uses prompts in the writing sessions to spark ideas and help people create their own stories, poems or memoirs. On Wednesday February 26, 6.30-9 pm Marie will run a fairy-tale themed workshop at Emersons Green Hall. For a full list of her writing courses, locations and prices, visit: www.beginwriting.co.uk
Painting
If you are interested in experimenting with colour and developing new skills and techniques, you could try a painting class. Lisa Jefferies, founder of Lisa’s Local Art, runs a selection of painting workshops for small groups of people (maximum 10 people). Classes are scheduled for Monday January 27, 10am-12pm and Saturday February 8, 2-4 pm, with more dates still to be confirmed. The classes take place at the Indoor Market Cafe in Kingswood. If you would like to know more about the workshops and how to book, visit: https://www.lisaslocalart.co.uk/.
Wellbeing and Exercise
If you are looking for a new exercise regime, there is a variety of classes to choose from: from low-impact nature and wellbeing walks and pilates to higher energy classes like clubbercise or powerhoop.
• South Gloucestershire Council runs classes at Page Park in Staple Hill, which are free to attend. These include nature and wellbeing walks on Tuesdays 1-3pm and gardening on Mondays 12:30-2:30pm. Contact community.learning@southglos.co.uk for more information.
• Amy Sinclair runs powerhoop classes at Emersons Green Village Hall on Wednesdays 8-8:45pm. For details, check out @hoopwithamy on Facebook or Instagram.
• Real Fitness with Sarah runs a range of clubbercise and pilates classes in Kingswood, Hanham and Longwell Green. For details about the classes, times and venues, visit www.realfitnesswithsarah.com
