LOVE TO LEARN

The Makershed mission is to provide space for making and learning, for everyone, no matter their level of experience, to be as creative as possible. You'll receive a friendly welcome by their team of talented tutors who offer a vast range of skill sets, knowledge and experience to teach students. Based in their workshop spaces at St Paul's Learning Centre they run a huge range of courses and workshops including Woodwork with hand or power tools, Upholstery, Sharpening, Wood Finishing, Wood Carving, Fabric Weaving, Lino Printing, Fabric Dyeing, Sewing and Pallet Wood Workshops. You can choose from daytime, evening and weekend courses. Book now for the Autumn/Winter terms via their website.

• St. Paul's Learning Centre, 94 Grosvenor Road, Bristol, BS2 8XJ

Shift Bristol is a not for profit organisation providing innovative and training in meeting our needs sustainably and building resilience. With 20 years experience of teaching practical skills, design systems and collaborative approaches Shift Bristol invites you to find your passion, challenge yourself and take positive action. The Practical Sustainability Course is an opportunity to immerse yourself in an in-depth, hands-on and dynamic learning experience. Ten modules: Permaculture Design, Woodland Management, Organic Horticulture, Soil and Ecology, Re-localisation, Green Energy, Green Building, Group Dynamics, Community Engagement, Creating Change. “This Course will change your life” “Delivered expertly by passionate and knowledgeable Tutors” Cost: Sliding scale £3,595, £2995, £2,395.

Get to know more about the wonderful birds that call our countryside home and how to get started on your birdwatching journey. This beginner course will cover basic fieldcraft and techniques including the use of binoculars and field guides and will give you a chance to get out into the beautiful woods and heaths surrounding Grow Wilder to put this theory into practice. Thu 08, September 2022 10:00 - 17:00

Trees and wildflowers have been beneficial in terms of industry and medicine but also sacred to a variety of civilisations throughout time. This introductory folklore course will look at the history, mythology, and significance of a variety of trees and common wildflower species. Sun 18, September 2022 10:00 - 17:00

• Field Studies Council @

Lauren Holloway offers a range of sewing workshops in Bristol and the South West from beginner to intermediate level, where you can learn the basics of using a domestic sewing machine, brush up on existing sewing skills or develop new techniques to improve your craft, all in a relaxed, supportive and fun environment. You’ll leave the workshop with new-found knowledge, confidence and inspiration for future projects plus you’ll take home a beautiful handmade bag you can enjoy for years to come. With all materials and sewing machines provided, Lauren will guide you through the whole process, showing you how to use the machine, construct your bag, and also offering plenty of sewing tips and tricks along the way.

• Laurenholloway.uk

Integrative Medicine describes the intelligent combination of conventional, lifestyle and holistic approaches in one model of healthcare. It’s underpinned by key concepts of wellness, resilience and whole person health. NCIM is led by doctors and offers accredited training for healthcare professionals as well as learning events that members of the public can join. The centre also offers holistic healthcare services to individuals and community wellbeing workshops.

Book now to attend a one-day online event ‘Living Well in Later Life’ (23 September). It’s a day of cutting-edge learning that will help us explore how ready we are for our own or our loved ones’ old age and ask, ‘what does it mean to age well?’ • www.ncim.org.uk/events

Art classes for all abilities are back at RWA following a major transformation of the space. You can join them in their refurbished Studio in Clifton for courses and workshops that include woodblock printmaking, bookbinding, painting for beginners, life drawing and more. You can also head to Zoom for the popular 'Dog Drawing' with artist Sally Muir and they also run off-site classes. A few of the new courses draw on the themes of their summer exhibition 'Earth: Digging Deep in British Art 1781 2022'. Oh, and don't forget to grab a cuppa in their new Spicer+Cole cafe while you are there! Gift vouchers available.

• Royal West of England Academy, Queens Road, Clifton,

Taught by Samantha Buckley introducing students to the beautiful technique of Indian miniature painting.

Taking inspiration from the surrounding Exmoor landscape and the Mughal art of capturing nature, in particular birds. Students will use traditional materials to create their own unique painting. The first step will be paper preparation, staining and burnishing. Next, an introduction to pigments, how to prepare the Indian palette and paint using the traditional technique of colour flooding. Finally, students will use the technique known as Prataj, or invisible shading, to create the fine detail using the unique squirrel brush found only in India. During the 3 days there will also be an opportunity to explore the surrounding area for inspiration. 14-16 October. £220 per person including lunch, tea/coffee and cake. Accommodation extra. Glass classes taught by Bridget Birse can also be arranged for anyone staying at Moor and Sea (subject to availability) please contact for details and to book. • 07794594916; Moorandseaholidays.co.uk

Having a family photo shoot these days is a far cry from days of old when you may have been in your Sunday best sitting on a chair trying your best to put on a genuine smile whilst the photographer coerced you with ‘say cheese’. Everyone’s shoot had the same props poses and back grounds, just the faces changes but little was done to capture the unique personality of the family or the individuals in it.

The end result, if you were lucky, was to walk away with some average images in brown folders that would end up in a drawer or maybe in a frame if you ever got round to it. The pictures would be so cringe-worthy that as the years went by they would be items of amusement and a joke rather than the family heirloom that they could have been.

These days the whole experience is a lot more relaxed and fun with the aim being to create an environment where each family has the opportunity to capture its unique personality and the personalities of each person in that family. We are all different, every parent and child, from quiet and thoughtful to zany and crazy, everyone has something that makes them, them! And the aim of a good portrait photographer is to capture it. The sessions go at a pace dictated by each family and are a relaxed and fun with the family experience always at the forefront.

Images are now viewed a week or so later on a big screen, fully retouched with special effects added, Kleenex at the ready as you see your loved ones in a whole new light. The end result should be a big selection images on various back grounds with a plethora of poses and props all in a contemporary to classic style that will not date. The images should make the heart melt with emotions and feelings of family values and a record of personalities and a reminder of how precious our loved ones are.

The final chosen images are hand mounted and framed in timeless designs that mean they will hang in pride of place in the family home and will always be a reminder of the most precious days of our family lives and values. A precious family heirloom that does not date and always returns your mind to a happy time and place.

Clifton Photographic has been delighting families for over 20 years offering first class services and products from their lovely studios on Alma Road in Clifton. Still as passionate today as they were when they began about creating amazing portraits for your family.

In this special prize draw, they are offering one lucky family the chance to experience a family photoshoot worth £65 and £700 to spend as they wish on images of their choice.

There will also be a complimentary family session with one complimentary image for every family that enters using the QR code below.

Family values are so important these days in a disjointed world of rushing around, screen time, distractions and drama. Make the time with your family this summer to capture the magic of your family.

To enter simply scan the QR code.