In the Loop – 14 Jan 2022

Hello everyone and a very Happy New Year to you all.

I do hope you are all feeling relaxed and rested after the Christmas break and ready to spring into the new year with lots of positive energy.

I am delighted to have so many exciting courses on offer again this term so I’m sure you can find something to take the chill off the frosty mornings and dark evenings.

We have a few spaces left on these one-day workshops all running on Saturday 22 January:

• An Introduction To Anatomy For Artists Workshop – 10am -4pm with Andy B57A
• Freemotion Stitch Foliage And Flowers –10am -4pm with Debby C12G
• Exploring Mozart’s Mass in C Minor –10am-4pm with Matthew F31B
• Oil Painting Workshop-Beginners –10am -4pm with Warren B62B
• Propagating Plants – 10am-4pm with Andy GAC1
• German Day: Bayern –10am-1pm with Annette LGKB

Other courses staring soon include:

• Garden Design – 8 sessions from Monday 17 January 7pm-9pm with Jon GJW5
• An introduction to Homer’s Odyssey – 10 sessions from Tuesday 18 January 1pm-3pm with Richard HRS8
• Italian Book Club – 5 sessions from Tuesday 18 January 1pm-3pm with Laura LL131
• Family History, Stage 1 – 5 sessions from Thursday 20 January 2pm-4pm with Rosemary FHR1B
• A Look at the Male Gaze – 4 sessions form Friday 28 January 1.30pm-3pm with Davide F20C
• Know your soil and how to improve it – one session on Saturday 5 February 10am-4pm with Andy GAC2
• Art and the First World War – 6 sessions from Monday 28 February 4pm-6pm with Sarah F47C
• Pastels-Mixed Ability – 6 session from Monday 28 February 9.30am -12noon with Roma B53C
• French Film Club – 5 sessions from Tuesday 1 March 6.45-9pm with Albane FFCS
• Body And Mind Awareness For Better Health-Taster – 6 sessions from Thursday 3 March 10am-11am with Stella H24C     

You can see all the spring term courses on our website and on our summary table here.

Don’t forget the second part of our language programme starts at the end of January so enrol soon to avoid disappointment.

Covid update

As we welcome you back, I just wanted to remind everyone on the arrangements and precautions in place to reduce the spread of covid 19, particularly for those of you coming back to in person classes in the next few weeks.

• Anyone who is unwell or has any Covid symptoms should not come to class.  If you test positive, please contact Stoke Lodge as soon as possible.
• You are not required to have had a vaccination to attend class but of course we encourage everyone to take up the opportunity of vaccinations and boosters.
• We would also encourage everyone to get some Lateral Flow Tests and to test themselves regularly.
• We continue to ask everyone to wear a mask when moving around the building and in communal areas, unless exempt.
• We are not mandating the wearing of masks in classrooms, however we do ask you to wear one for any close contact work and for moving around the room. You may choose to wear one during class if you would like.
• We have reduced numbers in classes, classrooms are still set up for social distancing and will be ventilated regularly. This doesn’t mean we have to sit in the freezing cold with all the windows open, but it is sensible to open windows occasionally and wearing an extra layer is recommended.
• All classrooms have sanitising materials and hand gel and regular handwashing is still recommended.

We will continue to monitor the situation locally and nationally and will advise learners directly of any changes to precautions and arrangements.

And finally…

January maybe chilly but there is still lots to celebrate.

The third Monday of January is sometimes considered to be the most difficult day of the year, but this is a bit of a myth. We all have good days and bad days and no one day is the same for everyone.
the Samaritans are looking to…

‘stop the myth of Monday being blue,
and start a conversation over a brew’.

A day to celebrate people coming together for a cuppa, to chat, and to connect with others.
So, on Monday 17 January why not reach out to someone and share a cuppa – you can share on the phone or online you don’t have to be together, but it’s a nice way to get in touch with someone and check in on friends and family.  Find out more about the fantastic Brew Monday campaign here

Thursday 20 January is National Cheese Lovers Day. – strangely, this doesn’t coincide with national wine lover’s day!   Anyone fancy a nice bit of Wensleydale?

Tuesday 25 January is Burns Night – an evening to celebrate the life and works of Scottish poet Robert Burns.

So if Haggis is on the menu for you don’t forget to ‘address your haggis’ with Burns
“Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race!”
if you fancy hosting a burns night supper you can find lots of information on the perfect Burns night on Scotland.org website here

Of course, the perfect way to enjoy a chilly January may just be with a course or workshop with us!
Whatever you choose, stay safe and take care

Kindest regards
Jenny