If you are looking for something fun and creative to do to help dispel the boredom of those dull winter days, we’ve got just the thing for you!

Arts organisation Kaleidoscope will be kicking off the new year in style with a brand new programme of online creative classes and workshops exclusively for older people. The classes are presented by Imagine Arts and will be hosted right here on Greysnet.

The classes will cover a selection of colourful and creative pursuits from sketching to singing, movement to mindfulness. Each of the courses will be led by experienced professional tutors and will be fully interactive so participants can engage with the tutors and the other participants.  And best of all the classes are completely free, thanks to the support of the Community Foundation and the Arts Culture and Heritage Fund.

The classes will begin in January 2021 and will continue until the end of March. We’ll be added new classes each month. Here’s a look at what’s in store in the first few weeks.

Feel Good Moves (starts Monday 4th January 3pm weekly)

Get the week off to a positve start with a little light movement and music in the company of the wonderful Charmaine.  Charmaine uses the power of dance and movement to create a positive sense of physical and emotional wellbeing. “Listening to your favourite music and getting the body moving helps to lift your spirit and makes the body and mind feel good. So join me for a series of workshops – moving to feel good.”

Learn To Draw  (starts Tuesday 5th January 11am weekly)

Robert Peters is an artist and facilitator with over thirty years of experience. This course is designed to improve participants’ observation skills, hone their control of drawing media and deepen their understanding of shape and form through a series of exercises, drawn from art history. The six sessions concentrate on rendering 2-dimensional forms to increase pencil control and eye-hand coordination. Previous participants have commented that engaging with pure form through drawing leads to a calming of the mind, producing an almost meditative state that bolstered their sense of wellbeing.

Singing with Vessie  (starts Thursday 14th January 11am weekly)

Join award winning choir mistress Vessie Ivanova as she helps participants to improve their singing voice and experience the pure joy of singing with others. Participants will learn breathing and body exercises, expression and storytelling to improve their performance skills. The group will explore songs from different genres and learn about different styles of singing.

The Sound Healing Spa   (starts Friday 8th January 11am weekly)

Tessa Anne from The Sound Healing Spa leads an online sound relaxation experience using the concept of therapeutic sound to provide a space for participants to relax using the medium of sound. The sessions will combine guided relaxation, recorded sounds and instruments played live, so the participants may experience a real-time relaxation session.

How to Take Part

The Imagine Arts classes are free to participate in and there’s no need to sign up in advance just use the ZOOM link on the classes page to join the class at the start time. It’s easy and fun so why not give it a go!

You can find out about all of the courses by logging on to the “Classes” section of the Greysnet website and searching for the one you want. You’ll find the Zoom links for each weeks class and all the other information you’ll need.