Tutor: Maike Dring
Date: Thursday 30th January 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom

Discover how you can use aromatherapy essential oils to support your health and wellbeing during the winter months. We explore the use of essential oils to counteract colds, coughs, poor circulation, challenges to our skin and more caused by the colder season. Learn how to prepare essential oils to use safely in the home setting on your skin, in the bath, for compresses, inhalations and more. This is very much a practical course giving you demonstrations of how to blend essential oils ready to use. A demonstration and guided hand massage addressing some cold symptoms is included. Course notes and materials provided. No previous experience necessary. Participants take home an aromatherapy blend to help with cold symptoms.

Tutors: Nick Gosman and Fay Jones
Date: Tuesday 25th March 2025 - Wednesday 26th March 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £185
Location: Classroom

In ancient times, woodlands provided everything we needed from building materials, food, firewood, herbal remedies and natural dyes. Woodcarvers Nick Gosman and Fay Jones will take you through how to sharpen tools safely, which tools to buy and basic carving techniques. At the end of the first day, you’ll take home your own spoon. On day two you will learn how to make a simple Kuksa bowl similar to those made by the Sámi nomads in Finland. We will take you from basic wood preparation, carving the bowl with an axe, gouge work and finishing to make a bowl that you can take away with you. All tools are provided including chopping and gouge blocks.

Tutor: Catherine Tregaskes
Date: Tuesday 1st April 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom

The wigwams are perfect for supporting annual climbers like sweet peas or beans in your garden; drying the wigwams and storing them over winter ensures they will last for many years to come. No prior experience is necessary, but you will need good hand strength and dexterity, as well as the ability to stand for a few hours. All materials, including some sourced from the Botanic Garden, and equipment are provided — just wear older clothes and be ready to get creative!

Tutor: Anna Martin
Date: Thursday 29th May 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £45
Location: Classroom

A fun short course to introduce you to the joy of decorating cakes with beautiful flowers.
Learn different piping techniques with buttercream and how to make fondant flowers.
Using the flowers you make, as well as edible seasonal fresh and dried flowers, you will then decorate four cupcakes baked by Anna to take home.

Tutor: Maike Dring
Date: Tuesday 15th July 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £90
Location: Classroom

In this course we explore how you can make the most out of aromatic herbs growing in your own gardens and pots. You will discover how you can use them and their essential oils to enhance your everyday health and wellbeing and how to use them in cooking. We will also make some home-made beauty and wellbeing preparations during the course for you to take home. We will cover ten different herbs over the day. A light lunch prepared with herbs will be available to share.

Tutor: Catherine Tregaskes
Date: Tuesday 30th September 2025 - Wednesday 1st October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £185
Location: Classroom

In this course, we will use a variety of willows to make a round or oval basket. Beginners would be able to make a round basket with a traditional or contemporary handle. Improvers can make a round basket and try different weaves or make an oval basket if they are confident in the steps required to make a round basket. No qualifications are required; however, you do need reasonable dexterity and strength in your hands to be able to manipulate the willow. All materials and equipment will be supplied. Numbers on this course are limited to ensure 1:1 guidance from Catherine.

Tutor: Nick Gosman and Fay Jones
Date: Tuesday 14th October 2025
Time: 10:00 - 16:00
Cost: £95
Location: Classroom

Have you dabbled with greenwood spoon carving and are keen to take your skills to the next level? Then this one-day course in end-grain greenwood tankard carving is an opportunity to extend your skills. We will teach you how to make a tankard, like the ones seen on House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones. We will take you from basic wood preparation, carving the tankard with an axe, auger and gouge work and finishing of the tankard that you can take away with you. We will provide you with all the tools you need including chopping, auger and gouge blocks.

Tutor: Paula Edgington
Date: Thursday 12th June 2025
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
Cost: £75
Location: Classroom

In this workshop, we will discuss ways and means of working more sustainably when flower arranging by looking at alternative methods of arranging without traditional floral foam. You will create your own beautiful arrangement to take home with you. In addition, during the workshop, we will discuss a wider, more holistic approach to arranging sustainably. Materials and equipment are provided.