In The Loop – 30 April 2021

We have some great courses running all through the summer term, just a few of them I have highlighted below.

As usual you can see the full courses available on our booking site and for those of you who like a summary to skim through a pdf document of all the course starting soon can be viewed here.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Art History – 16th Century Painting in Northern Europe, Wed 2.30pm to 4.30pm from 9 June with Sarah N44C
• NEW Drawing Techniques Workshop, Thurs & Fri 10am to 3pm on 3/4 June with Sheila N13G
• Drawing- Absolute Beginners, Mon 9.30am to 12.30pm from 7 June with Mary N18D
• Watercolour- Absolute Beginners, Wed 6.30pm to 9pm from 9 June with Mary N26E
• NEW Calligraphy – Beginners, Wed 6.45pm to 9pm from 9 June with Roma N28A
• NEW Mindful Walking Group/ Gentle Exercise Outdoors, Thurs 11am to 12noon from 10 June with Saara R15E
• NEW Literature – New York: Modernity and the City, Wed 9.45am to 11.45am from 9 June with Gorka N38B
• NEW Italian Day: Venezia, Sat 10am to 1pm on 15 may with Enza LISV
• Introduction to Family History – taster, Tues 1pm to 2.30pm on 18May with Rosemary TFH
• An Introduction to Social Media for Business, Leisure and Social Purposes, Fri 10am to 1pm from 21 may with Lisa CDTM
• NEW German Day: Die deutschen Nordseeinseln, Sat 10am to 1pm on 22 May with Annette GSNI
• Bridge, Restart your play, Thurs 10am to 12 noon from 27May with Lorna BS8
• Get by in Italian on Holiday, Sat 10am to 2pm on 29 May with Enza LGIH

Bristol Life Awards 2021

I am delighted to say that for the second year in a row, we are one of the finalists in the Bristol Life Magazine Awards. It’s a tough final group with lots of great education providers included but obviously I think Adult Learning deserves to win!

This year has not been easy, but the judges have recognised the extraordinary efforts of all the staff and tutors this year.  I am desperately proud of the commitment, ingenuity, and determination of staff across the team.  Stepping outside of their own comfort zones at times, to deliver the best experience they can for you, our learners.

Learner feedback is also considered by the judges so all the messages of support you have sent us, all the feedback on your classes and all your good wishes have also contributed, so a big THANK YOU to all our learners and supporters for helping us make the shortlist!

We always love to hear what Adult Learning means to you, so if you want to share your thoughts and experiences please get in touch.

New ‘hairy conservationists’ arrive at Avon Gorge

Lovely news that 4 new goats have arrived to help conserve Avon Gorge by munching on the scrub and bramble.  Visitors are being encouraged to give them a wide berth and let them get on with the job in hand but great to have them in place, monitored and cared for by the Council Downs team and its volunteers. You can read more on www.avongorge.org.uk  or on their Facebook page.

City Nature Challenge 2021– this weekend 30 April to 3 May

The City nature Challenge is a global science project collecting information about local wildlife in cities. Over 400 cities are taking part including Bristol and Bath.  If you have a smartphone you can download the iNaturalist app and use it to upload photos of any wildlife you see over the weekend.  The project is encouraging people to:

• See it – keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife when you are out and about.
• Snap it – take a photo of your wildlife specimen.
• Share it – upload it to their app

For how to use the iNaturalist app click here or find more information on the project here.

Lockdown easing

While some of us will be feeling confident and happy that some of the restrictions are easing, some of us will also be feeling anxious about the changes.

I read a really helpful article on the www.mentalhealth.org website about how the ending of lockdown might be just as hard as the start for some of us.  Just as it took us time to find ways to cope with restrictions, we should expect it to take us some time to find our way back.
They suggest mental health tips about finding routines, staying connected, eating well and taking exercise apply just as much now as they did this time last year.  You can read the full article and see their tips here.

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from the 10 to the 16 May and this year’s theme is nature.
The two goals for the week are ‘to inspire people to connect with nature in new ways, noticing the impact this connection can have for their mental heath and to convince decision makers at all levels that access to and quality of nature is a mental health and social justice issue as well as an environmental one’.  They are asking us all to:

• Experience nature: take time to recognise and grow your connection with nature during the week. Take a moment to notice and celebrate nature in your daily life. You might be surprised by what you notice!
• Share nature: Take a photo, video or sound recording and share the connections you’ve made during the week, to inspire others. Join the discussion on how you’re connecting with nature by using the hashtags #ConnectWithNature #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek
• Talk about nature: use our tips, school packs, research and policy guides to discuss in your family, school, workplace and community how you can help encourage people to find new ways to connect with nature in your local environment.

Well that was a lot to share!  Thanks for sticking with it!
As always, stay safe and take care of yourselves and we hope to see many of you very soon.

Kindest regards

Jenny