www.weawirksworth.org.uk

Classes for adults in Wirksworth, Derbyshire

Classes for 2011–12 at Wirksworth WEA

Please enrol in advance for all classes (see left)

72. Creative writing for beginners

Learn various creative writing techniques that enable you to write your own short stories. Try out a variety of writing exercises in the class each week and share your work with others if you wish to. The course will culminate in a group anthology of work. There will be a half term break 25 October 2011.

Tutor Catherine Roth
Fee £50.25 (discounted: £45.25) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Tuesday 7.30–9pm, 10 meetings from 27 September 2011

73. Enjoying opera

Come along and enjoy a selection of operas designed to enhance and broaden your experience of this most emotionally charged of art forms. The chosen operas will come from a range of composers whose skills lie in the ability to reach the heights of dramatic and emotional intensity. No previous experience of music required. There will be a half term break 26 October 2011.

Tutor Anne Allcock
Fee £50.25 (discounted: £45.25) or Free
Venue Waltham House, St John’s Street, Wirksworth DE4 4DT
Date Wednesday 10.15–11.45am, 10 meetings from 28 September 2011

74. Autumn watch

Discover the wonder of autumn with its plentiful harvest of fruits and fungi, migration of birds and hibernation of mammals. This course will use a mixture of indoor sessions and outdoor visits to local sites to learn about the passing of this magical season. The indoor meetings will be on 6 Oct, 20 Oct & 17 Nov and there will be three outdoor visits on 13 Oct, 3 and 10 Nov. There will be a half term break on 27 October 2011.

Tutor Debbie Court Alston
Fee £40.20 (discounted: £36.20) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Thursday 9.30–11.30am, 3 indoor meetings from 6 October 2011 + 3 field trips

75. Painting in France: 1400–1939

We will look at French painting, from Jean Fouquet to Henri Matisse, between the 15th and 20th centuries. How did France come to surpass Italy as Europe’s cultural leader? We shall explore its crucial role in the development of modern art. Artists will include Fouquet, Poussin, Boucher, Fragonard, David, Delacroix, Manet, Monet, Cézanne and Matisse. There will be a half term break on 27 Oct 2011.

Tutor Bob Moulder
Fee £50.25 (discounted: £45.25) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Thursday 7.30–9pm, 10 meetings from 29 September 2011

76. Talking literature: aspects of the sea

We will explore aspects of the sea in texts and poems: life at sea and on shore, the
power, mystery and beauty of the sea, its effects on character and behaviour, its role as provider and destroyer. In the first term, the texts are Sylvia's Lovers (Gaskell), Lighthousekeeping (Winterson), two novellas, The Woman in Black (Hill) and On Chesil Beach (McEwan), and Rites of Passage (Golding). In the second term, the texts are 100 Days on Holy Island (Mortimer), Zennor in Darkness (Dunmore), The Hungry Tide (Ghosh) and Dirt Music (Winton).

Tutor Maggie Robinson
Fee £100.50 (discounted: £90.45) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Friday 10.15am–noon (inc 15 min break), 20 meetings from 30 September 2011

Courses in the New Year:

77. Buildings of Derbyshire: Part Two

Townscapes and society were transformed in the 18th and 19th centuries. Derbyshire became industrialised and urbanised. New buildings for the machine age emerged alongside civic buildings and the growth of suburbs. This course explores building styles of the Georgian, Victorian and modern age and considers their impact on society and lifestyles. Newcomers welcome. There will be a half term break on 14 February 2012. Please note the new start time of 10.15am.

Tutor Richard Stone
Fee £58.60 (discounted: £52.75) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Tuesday 10.15am–noon, 10 meetings from 10 January 2012

78. Geology and scenery of the Lake District and Snowdonia

Over 400 million years ago the Lake District and Snowdonia formed part of a volcanically active region; during the last half million years glaciers and ice sheets have dominated the landscape. Investigate the story behind the spectacular scenery of these national parks, particularly the influence of rock type, earth movements and erosion. There will be a half term break on 16 February 2012.

Tutor Judy Rigby
Fee £60.30 (discounted: £54.30) or Free
Venue Baptist Church, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4FB
Date Thursday 10am–noon, 9 meetings from 12 January 2012

79. Great artists in history

This course will focus on famous artists as individuals but also as pairs of contemporaries. Their stories are marked by jealousy, rivalry and high emotions, as well as fruitful collaboration and mutual inspiration. Artists will include Veronese and Tintoretto, Reynolds and Gainsborough, Degas and Renoir, and Van Gogh and Gauguin. There will be a half term break on 16 Feb 2012.

Tutor Bob Moulder
Fee £50.25 (discounted: £45.25) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Thursday 7.30–9pm, 10 meetings from 12 January 2012

Courses in the summer term:

80. Enjoying opera

This short course will look at operas which have a humorous touch. Operas such as Rossini's Barber of Seville will take us into a world of virtuoso singing, great music and fun on stage. Welcome the spring with a selection of operas to lift your spirits.

Tutor Anne Allcock
Fee £33.50 (discounted: £30.15) or Free
Venue Waltham House, St John’s Street, Wirksworth DE4 4DT
Date Wednesday 10.15am–12.15pm, 5 meetings from 18 April 2012

81. The environment in crisis: the facts and the fictions

Propaganda from both sides of the ‘green’ debate can obscure the facts.What is the truth about global warming? Will nuclear power solve or create more problems? How can the world face up to the water crisis and will genetic modification solve future food problems? Explore opposing arguments in order to arrive at a more complex understanding of these important issues.

Tutor Sean Moran
Fee £46.90 (discounted: £42.20) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Wednesday 7–9pm, 7 meetings from 18 April 2012

82. Geological walks in the Peak District

Enjoy the many ways in which the underlying geology creates and influences the landscapes of the Dark and White Peak. Through four visits examine the geology and recognise its effects on the scenery. Locations and arrangements will be finalised at the first meeting (indoor). Appropriate footwear and reasonable mobility required. Shared transport encouraged.

Tutor Judy Rigby
Fee £46.90 (discounted: £42.20) or Free
Venue for first meeting Baptist Church, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4FB
Date Thursday 10am–noon, 1 indoor meeting on 26 April 2012 + 4 field trips

83. Bolsover Castle and the age of chivalry

The story of Sir Charles Cavendish, youngest son of Bess of Hardwick and Bolsover Castle. We shall make a short journey into the world of Elizabethan and Jacobean chivalry and romance. Designed by Robert Smythson and his sons, Bolsover Castle is odd, individual and delightful. There will be a day visit to the Castle (English Heritage) on Fri 25 May (entrance fee payable). Learners should make their own transport arrangements, which we will discuss before the visit.

Tutor Jane Irwing
Fee £46.90 (discounted: £42.20) or Free
Venue Town Hall, Coldwell St, Wirksworth DE4 4EU
Date Fri 10.15am–12.30pm (inc 15min break), 5 mtgs from 20 April 2012 + 1 field trip

Welcome to WEA
Wirksworth Branch

++NEWS++

Public lecture:

Making the most of World Heritage status

It’s 10 years since Derwent Valley Mills were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Heritage co-ordinator Adrian Farmer reveals how this is impacting on the valley’s present and future.

This public lecture is on Tuesday 20 September 2011 at 7.30pm, at Wirksworth Heritage Centre, Crown Yard, Market Place, Wirksworth. Admission FREE