spring programme: take part

TAKE PART Young people

Classes, workshops and projects for children and young people. See website for further details.

Junior Maltings Wednesdays (term-time only) from 05 January 4.45pm–6.15pm · £80 for 12 sessions A creative and fun workshop for children aged 8-11, led by a professional theatre maker. Weekly sessions allow the development of imagination and confidence through games, improvisation, character work, movement, devising and performance opportunities.

Maltings Youth Theatre Wednesdays (term-time only) from 05 January 6.30pm–8.30pm · £85 for 12 sessions A creative youth theatre company for those aged 11-16 to develop skills through a range of techniques, including play, improvisation, script-work, devising, physical theatre, performance opportunities, and exploring various practitioners and styles.

Demeric School of Dance Various days from 10 January · various times/prices (free trial class) Classes for children aged 2+ up to advanced student level. For those with a serious interest in dance as a career or just for fun and exercise. Find out more at demericdance.co.uk

Farnham Youth Dance Company Mondays from 10 January 5pm–6.30pm · £8 per session paying weekly, or £6 per session paying termly An open, inclusive, and supportive class for young people aged 12–18 to develop core dance skills, creative exploration and choreography. The group performs annually at Stopgap’s Winter Platform and other local dance festivals.

Maltings Young Crafters Mondays (term-time only) 10 January – 28 March 4pm–5.30pm · £110 for 11 sessions A fun, weekly, group for 10–15 year olds who want to explore and develop their artistic skills. Themed projects are led by professional tutor and artist Ruth Wheeler. We provide a positive, welcoming space where we aim to inspire people’s creativity.

Thrive Youth Dance Company Tuesdays (term-time only) 11 January – 29 March 5pm–6.30pm · free A nurturing, learning environment for vulnerable young people aged 14-24 to thrive, using physical dance training and creative dance as a tool to develop key life skills. Find out more: thriveyouthdancecompany.co.uk

Demeric School of Dance Easter Workshop Mon 11, Tue 12 & Wed 13 April 9am–12.30pm · £55 Fun workshop covering different aspects of theatre and dance based around Easter, including musical theatre, jazz, street dance, singing, Acro, and Bollywood. For children aged 5+. Find out more demericdance.co.uk

TAKE PART Adults

Creative classes and workshops for those who want to learn a new skill, or simply have fun and meet new people.

Demeric School of Dance Term starts Mon 10 January for 10 weeks various times/prices (free trial class) Adult tap, contemporary and adult ballet classes. We have something to offer every age and all abilities with a serious interest in dance or just for fun and exercise. Find out more demericdance.co.uk

Singing for the Mind Mondays 1.30pm (refreshments), singing hour 2pm-3pm · £5 per session A lively musical hour especially for people living with dementia and their carers. A chance to share memories and a love of songs in a friendly and welcoming environment. Supported by Right at Home GF.

Writing for Wellness Mondays 21 February – 28 March 7pm-9pm · £36 for 6 sessions Join award-winning local novelist and therapist Joanna Barnard to explore how writing creatively can benefit your mental and emotional well-being. Suitable for adults of all ages and experience.

Farnham Men in Sheds Tuesdays & Thursdays 10am–1pm · free A chance for anyone who enjoys making and repairing in the outdoors to get involved with small community projects. Meeting twice weekly in the beautiful grounds of space2grow, next to Bishop’s Meadow.

Nimble Fingers Tuesdays 10.30am–12.30pm · free A friendly, free knitting and crochet drop-in for beginners and experienced hands alike. Bring your own project or we’ll provide something; you’ll make new friends and find fresh, woolly inspiration.

Improv Comedy for Beginners Tuesdays 08 February – 15 March 7pm–9pm · £150 for 6 week course Learn the basics of improvised comedy with internationally renowned teacher, Chris Mead. The art of making things up on the spot, is not only an incredibly fun social activity but improves empathy, confidence and playfulness too.

Farnham Maltings Book Club 3rd Tuesday of the month 8pm · free Come and discuss a wide range of books and authors at our well-established and friendly book club. New members are always welcome. For more information contact Gerald Turner grtservices123@gmail.com

Farnham Afternoon Bridge Club Wednesdays (except first Wednesday of most months) 1.45pm · annual membership £60 (April–March), guest membership £3 per session Whether you are an experienced player or a relative novice, if you are looking to enjoy a pleasant afternoon of Rubber Bridge you will be very welcome at our club. Contact the Club Chairman, Trevor Lawson to discuss crtjlawson@hotmail.com

Over 55s Dance Workshop with New Adventures 19 January, 23 February, 23 March, 20 April 2pm–4pm · £8 per class Delve into the work of Matthew Bourne’s award-winning company, New Adventures and get your bodies moving in our fun and creative dance workshops. Subsidised places are available for those who may find the cost prohibitive, contact leah@new-adventures.net

TAKE PART Ukulele Workshops

Thu 13 January – Thu 24 February & Thu 03 March – Thu 07 April

Beginners 10am–11.30am · £75 for 6 sessions; Improvers 11.30am–1pm · £12 pay on door For beginners and improves of any age. Learn in a friendly environment and have a lot of fun. You don’t need any prior musical knowledge to play. You will need your own ukulele.

Carers Coffee Break 1st Friday of the month 10am–12pm · free A casual meet up for carers and former carers, to have a cuppa and a chat. Supported by Action for Carers. Pop in for 15 minutes or for the full 2 hours.

Kadampa Meditation Centre: The habits of happy people Sat 26 March 10.30am–1pm · £25 (advanced booking required) Learn critical lessons about the habits of happy people that will enrich your life’s experience and enable you to discover your potential for happiness. Two sessions of guided meditations and practical instructions with Buddhist nun Gen Nyingpo.

Bump & Baby Club Ongoing £175 per course (advanced booking required) Bump & Baby Club provides popular antenatal classes. Get ready and prepared for the arrival of your baby and make a brand new set of friends to share your journey with. Book classes: bumpandbabyclub.com

Craft workshops

Throwing on the Potter’s Wheel

Mon 10, Tue 11, Wed 12, Thu 13 January & Mon 07, Tue 08, Wed 09, Thu 10 March

10am–12pm & 7pm–9pm · £148 for 5 weeks This 5-week course is aimed at beginners and returning students. Resident potter Penny Eccles will guide you through throwing on the potter’s wheel, creating forms from simple bowls, colanders, cups, handles and pots. Small fee for finished work. For ages 18+.

Sewcialise Wed 12 January – Wed 22 March 7.30pm-9.30pm · £225 for 10-week course Led by experienced sewing tutors Alice and Ginny, this fun friendly 10-week course is open to anyone wanting to take their sewing to the next level. Gain new skills and confidence whilst working on your own sewing projects. For ages 18+.

Handmade Ceramic Paint Pallet & Brush Water Pot on the Wheel Sat 15 January 10.30am–12.30pm · £45 Join our resident ceramicist Penny in the pottery studio and create your own unique paint palette and brush pot – a beautiful gift for anyone who paints. All materials provided.

Make a Leather Messenger Bag Wed 19 January 10am–4pm · £130 Learn about the basics of design and choose from a wide range of leather colours to create an A5 size messenger bag. It requires a good amount of hand stitching. All materials and tools are provided. For ages 18+.

TAKE PART Introduction to Indian Block Printing Fri 21 January, Sat 19 February & Fri 18 March 10am–12.15pm · £45 Learn the art of Indian block printing and print yourself a couple of tea towels or a cushion. All materials provided and additional materials will be available to purchase to enable you to continue printing at home. Please bring an apron. For ages 16+.

Introduction to Modern Calligraphy Sat 22 January 10am–12pm · £45 Explore the art of modern calligraphy in this fun and creative beginner’s class. Learn how to create beautiful thin and thick flourishes to stringing letters together to designing a final quote that you can be proud of. For ages 16+.

Jumbo Arm Knitted Blanket Sat 22 January, Fri 11 March & Sat 23 April 10.45am–1pm & 1.45pm–4pm · £68 A fun workshop using your ‘arms as needles’ to create a jumbo blanket! Choose your favourite colour from the snuggly vegan-friendly yarn. Extra yarn will be available on the day if you would like to make more when you get home. For ages 10+.

Keum Boo Jewellery Making Sat 22 January 10am–4pm · £120 Learn the ancient Korean art of Keum Boo – the attaching of thin sheets of 24kt gold to fine silver. All tools and materials provided. Suitable for beginners and those with jewellery making experience. For ages 18+.

Make a Leather Shoulder Bag Fri 28 January 10am–4pm · £120 Learn about the basics of design and choose from a wide range of colours to create a leather shoulder bag. It requires an amount of hand stitching. All materials and tools provided. For ages 18+.

Willow Chicken Sculpture Sat 29 January 10am–4pm · £75 Spend a fun day learning the art of willow sculpture with local basket maker, Judith Needham, and take home a life-sized chicken. It can be used to enhance your garden or perhaps give as a unique gift. For ages 14+.

Wire Spring Flowers Thu 03 February 10am–3pm · £55 Learn how to create your own sculpture using coloured copper wire. Coloured beads and copper mesh are available to make them more detailed. Please bring a small pair of pliers and images for inspiration. For ages 16+.

Heart-Shaped Pots on the Potter’s Wheel Sat 05 February 10am–11am, 11.30am–12.30pm, 1pm–2pm & 2.30pm–3.30pm £12 per person per session Decorate clay hearts at the table to give to the one you love or keep one for yourself and make a heart shaped pot on the potter’s wheel too. For ages 14+.

Needle Felted Sheep Wed 09 February 10am–2pm · £45 Learn the basic techniques of needle felting, using special barbed needles and natural wool fibres to create a unique sheep sculpture. Sculpt your own sheep’s face from air drying clay or use the one provided. Suitable for beginners and improvers. For ages 18+.

Raku Kiln Firing Sat 12 February 10.30am–12.30pm or 1.30–3.30pm · £45 Come and learn the wonderful art of raku and experience the fun of glazing and firing. Choose from a ready-made bottle form, tea bowl or bowl. The kiln firing and removal of pots from the kiln will be done by our resident ceramicist Penny Eccles. For ages 18+.

Leather Dog Collar and Lead Fri 18 February 10am–1pm · £50 Make the perfect present for your pooch. Craft a custom-made collar and lead complete with an embossed name tag. Learn about different types of leather and leather working tools. Suitable for beginners. For ages 18+.

Watercolour Landscapes Sat 19 February 10am–4pm · £90 Learn how to create ethereal landscapes in watercolour and experiment with ink and bleach to produce quality artwork. All materials provided. For ages 18+.

Willow Zarzo Basket Sat 19 February 10am-4pm · £75 Create a modern basket based on the Catalan method. With a variety of options, there is plenty of room for creativity. They can have handles or not as you wish and unlike the English method, making square and rectangular bases is straightforward. For ages 16+.

Pearl Stringing and Knotting Sat 19 February 10am–4pm · £120 Learn stringing, hand-knotting and how to fit a clasp to these beautiful organic gems to create a professional finish. Make a new pearl necklace or bracelet and bring your own pearls for advice on re-stringing. For ages 18+.

Beginner’s Crochet Tue 22 February 10am–3pm · £50 You will be guided through at your own pace on how to hold the hook and yarn, how to make a chain and basic crochet stitches. Suitable for complete beginners or those who have tried crochet before. For ages 16+.

Introduction to Stained Glass Wed 23 February 10.30am–4.30pm · £130 Learn how to design, cut and construct your own contemporary stained glass panel using traditional methods that have hardly changed over 500 years. For ages 18+.

Make a Wire Bird Fri 25 February 10am–3pm · £55 Use coloured copper wire to create a sculpture of your favourite bird. Allow your ideas to grow as you draw in 3D with this organic material. All materials provided. Please bring a small pair of pliers and images for inspiration. For ages 18+.

Basket Making: Two-Day Course Fri 25 & Sat 26 February 10am–4pm · £130 Learn how to create a basket using the stake-and-strand method with circular English base. Choose to make a wastepaper basket, shopper, fruit bowl or small log basket. Select a border style and add a handle if you wish. For ages 14+.

Introduction to Needle Turn Hand Appliqué Sat 26 February 10am–2pm · £75 Learn the beautiful art of the needle turn hand appliqué technique to build your skills and confidence. Learn what notions you need and how to prepare fabric as well as the most common shapes found in any pattern. For ages 18+.

Herb Tag and Pots on the Potter’s Wheel Sat 05 March 10am–11am, 11.30am–12.30pm, 1pm–2pm & 2.30pm–3.30pm £12 per person per session Join our resident potter, Penny Eccles and learn how to make a ceramic plant pot and label tag using the hand building technique. All materials provided. Suitable for beginners. For ages 14+.

Make a Knitted Spring Wreath Mon 07 March 10am–12pm & 12.30pm–2.30pm · £50 Learn how to make a floral wool wreath for your home. With guidance on how to make the wreath, you will then decorate it using British grown dried flowers. Suitable for beginners. For ages 16+.

Make a Wire Swallow Tue 08 March 10am–3pm · £55 Capture the swift and graceful movement of a swallow out of coloured copper wire. Explore sculpting with wire; learning to trace, join and shape it working from a drawing. All materials provided. Please bring a small pair of pliers. For ages 18+.

Needle Felted Kingfisher Fri 11 March 10am–4.30pm · £65 Using special barbed needles, learn all the techniques required to sculpt natural wool fibres to create a 3D needle felted kingfisher sculpture. All materials provided. Suitable for beginners and improvers. For ages 18+.

Handstitched Leather Notebook Cover Fri 11 March 10am–1.30pm · £40 Learn how to create your own handstitched leather notebook cover from a choice of leather and thread colours. You’ll be shown how to mark, cut, hole punch and hand stitch your work using traditional saddler techniques. All materials provided. For ages 18+. Part of Farnham Literary Festival.

Heat Press Printed Scarf Sat 12 March 10am–3pm · £55 In this fun workshop, you will be drawing some beautiful spring flowers using heat transfer paints. In the afternoon you will layer these expressive marks with sublimation paper to create a design for a lightweight scarf. For ages 18+.

Modern Calligraphy Sat 12 March 9.30am–12pm · £45 A relaxed workshop where you will learn the rewarding skill of modern calligraphy. All the basic skills will be covered so you will feel confident to improve at your own pace at home. All materials are provided. For ages 16+. Part of Farnham Literary Festival.

Raffia Hat Making: Two-Day Course Wed 16 & 23 March 10am–2.30pm · £100 Make a stunning, made-to-measure hat using the best quality natural, sustainable raffia. All materials provided. Please bring sharp scissors, plus a thimble if you like to use one for sewing. Suitable for beginners. For ages 18+.

Make a Silver Spinner Ring Sat 19 March 10am–4pm · £120 Explore how to work creatively using metal and learn skills such as piercing, texturing, drilling and polishing. All materials and tools provided. Suitable for beginners and those with jewellery making experience. For ages 18+.

Sprigg Decorated Cup Sat 19 March 10.30am–12.30pm · £45 Ever fancied having a go at making your own piece of work out of clay? Join our resident potter, Penny Eccles and learn how to make a sprigg decorated cup. All materials provided. Suitable for beginners. For ages 14+.

Heat Press Printed Lampshade: Two-Day Course Tue 22 & Wed 23 March 10am–1pm · £80 In this two-part workshop you will be taught how to use heat transfer paints to design a length of fabric. The second session will be spent fixing the design to a heat proof backing to create a 30cm lampshade. For ages 18+.

TAKE PART Mosaic Bird Bath: Two-Day Course Fri 25 & Sat 26 March 10am–4pm · £250 Join artist and tutor Denise Jaques to create a beautiful mosaic bird bath. Learn the different application methods for applying tesserae to 2D and 3D surfaces. Explore colour, texture and design to create something unique for the garden. For ages 18+.

Needle Felted Trout Brooch Thu 31 March 10am–2pm · £45 Learn all the techniques required to create a unique rainbow trout brooch or mini sculpture. We will use special barbed needles, natural wool fibres and tiny sparkling eyes. All materials provided. Suitable for beginners and improvers. For ages 18+.

Make a Wire Puffin Thu 31 March 10am–4.30pm · £69 Come and create this much-loved bird in copper wire with step-by-step instructions. You will start from a drawing and build up layers of wire to capture the character and form. All materials provided. Please bring a small pair of pliers. For ages 18+.

Easter Egg Cups on the Potter’s Wheel Sat 02 April 10am–11am, 11.30am-12.30pm, 1pm–2pm & 2.30pm–3.30pm · £12 per session Our resident ceramicist Penny Eccles will show you how to create your own unique Easter egg cup. Come and have fun learning how to throw on the potter’s wheel. For ages 14+.

Poppy Plant Support Finials Sat 09 April 10.30am–12.30pm · £45 Join our resident ceramicist Penny in the pottery studio and hand sculpt seed pod-shaped poppy finials to place on top of canes or hazel sticks in a garden. All materials are provided.

Watercolour Florals Sat 16 April 10am–4pm · £90 Learn to paint luscious watercolour florals. Experiment with ink and bleach and learn how to loosen up your style. There is an optional opportunity to have your creations from the day printed as a unique silk scarf (additional cost). For ages 18+.

Introduction to Stained Glass Wed 20 April 10.30am–4.30pm · £125 Learn how to design, cut and construct your own contemporary stained-glass panel using traditional methods that have hardly changed over 500 years. For ages 18+.

An Evening of Indian Block Printing Thu 21 April 6pm–8.30pm · £40 Experience the joy of hand printing your own fabric and paper using traditional Indian printing blocks. Learn a variety of printing techniques, practice with multiple designs, colours and print a selection of fabric and paper items to take home. For ages 12+.

Indian Block Printing: Full-Day Course Fri 22 April 10am–4.30pm · £100 Experience the joy of hand printing your own fabric and paper using a collection of designs, equipment and textile colours. Explore various techniques and leave with a stash of printed creations. For ages 18+.

Indian Block Printing: Half-Day Course Sat 23 April 10am–1.30pm · £60 Experience the joy of hand printing your own fabric and paper using a collection of designs, equipment and textile colours. Explore various techniques and leave with a stash of printed creations. For ages 18+.

TAKE PART Make a Silver Chain Bracelet Sat 23 April 10am–4pm · £120 Make a silver bracelet and clasp, whilst learning how to work creatively using silver wire. Learn piercing, texturing, drilling and polishing. All materials and tools provided. Suitable for beginners and those with jewellery making experience. For ages 18+.

Make a Leather Plant Hanger Wed 27 April 10am–1pm · £45 (includes pot) Learn how to cut, shape, hole punch and rivet leather to create an attractive, contemporary plant hanger. Choose from 3 different leather colours, as well as metal fastenings to make a truly unique creation. For ages 18+.

Needle Felted Blue Tit Fri 29 April 10am–2pm · £45 Learn all the techniques required to create your very own felted friend sculpture. Use special barbed needles to sculpt natural wool fibres into a firm 3D form. All materials provided. Suitable for beginners and improvers. For ages 18+.