Public debates and ethics 
Bettina Lange 
Thursday 5th March 2026 - 5pm-6pm 
WEA tutor Bettina Lange will be joining us to deliver her first member lecture. She will be talking about the challenges of public debates - how can we ensure that we can disagree in a respectful way?
Book a free spot 

Diego Rivera and Mexican Muralism 
Caroline Levisse 
Wednesday 11th March 2026 5pm-6pm - note change of day 
WEA tutor Caroline Levisse returns for her first member lecture of 2026. This time she will be talking to us about the work of Mexican artist Diego Rivera.
Book a free spot 
 

Intertwined: Women's History through textiles 
Ali Warren 
Thursday 19th March 2026 - 5pm-6pm 
March is Women's history month. To celebrate, WEA tutor Ali Warren returns to deliver another member lecture for us, this time focusing on women's history through textiles.  From the Bayeux Tapestry to the banners of the Women Protestors of Greenham Common women have used textiles to record their experiences. This talk will explore some of the many textile artefacts that hold some women’s history.  
Book a free spot

Creativity for Wellbeing: Poetry workshop: Spring Equinox 
Ione Harris 
Tuesday 24th March  2026 - 12:30pm-1:30pm - note change of day 
Ione's previous poetry workshop, inspired by the autumn equinox, was a great success, so we are welcoming her back to deliver a poetry workshop to celebrate the spring equinox and the return of longer, brighter days.
Book a free spot 

Story Club: Wellbeing 
Ione Harris 
Tuesday 31st March 2026 - 5pm-6:30pm - extended slot!  
The second Story Club is looking at stories that relate to wellbeing. We will share a range of suggested stories in advance, or you can choose your own. Ione will also be starting off the sessions by reading a poem that fits the theme, to spark discussion. After Ione's introduction, we will move into breakout rooms for small group discussions, before coming back together as a group.
Book a free spot 
 

Looking back at our member events in February 

We had another busy month, with five more free member events in February. 

Did you join us for any? We’d love to hear what you thought. You can always share your feedback with us in the Zoom Chat during the session or by emailing [email protected].   

Wordsworth: There's A Lot More to This Poet Than a Bunch of Daffs from Dr Mark Crees
In this talk, Dr Mark Crees talked about the live and work of William Wordsworth. Many first encounter the poet at school - 'I wandered lonely as a cloud', with its famous 'host of golden daffodils'; Mark encourages us to revisit Wordsworth's work as a whole. 

What our members said: 

“A really terrific talk that encourages me to read more of Wordsworth! Thank you.”  
“I am new to Wordsworth and poetry.  Brilliant talk” 

Missed it? Catch up here: Member lecture: William Wordsworth

 
A History of Yoga Poses from Ione Harris  
Longtime yoga practitioner and teacher Ione Harris delivered a fascinating talk about the history of Yoga and how the practice has evolved over the years.  

What our members said:  

‘Thanks Ione it is clear you are passionate about your subject matter. I'm looking forward to your taster session. Namaste’ 
‘Fascinating lecture. I have practised yoga for the last 15 years and is part of my life’ 

Catch up here: Member lecture: The History of Yoga Poses 


Creativity for Wellbeing: Art with Nicky with Nicky Tarleton-Weatherall   
Nicky's second Creativity for Wellbeing session was an art workshop where she guided us through creating a piece of pattern art, using paper folds and plates as guides. She showed how the same techniques can be used as the base for other drawings, such as sunflowers.

Our member Liz attended Nicky’s session and followed along with her grandchildren aged 4 and 7, who created these beautiful pieces of art: 

What our members said: 

‘Thank you - what a lovely way to spend my lunch break!’ 
‘Very enjoyable. Thanks, and it was relaxing, time just flew.’ 

Catch up with Nicky’s workshop in the members’ area, once available. 

Chair Yoga with Ione Harris   
A practical session to complement Ione's talk about the history. Ione started with a short meditation and then took us through a range of seated yoga poses.  

What our members said: 

‘I feel so much better watching and doing this. It should be funded by the NHS!’ 
‘Wonderful. You should make this a weekly session’ 

Catch up in the members’ area, once available. 
 

Suited and Booted : Lessons in Men’s Style from the Movies with Christopher Budd   
The humble men’s suit might not receive as much attention as women's attire when it comes to costume design. Yet in the hands of skilled tailors and costumiers they can be just as iconic. Join Christopher Budd for a journey through the glory days of men’s tailoring in films from the 1940s to the 1970s.  

Catch up in the members’ area, once available. 
  

How to join our member events   

Sign up for a free place via Zoom and you’ll be sent an invitation with a joining link. You don’t need to install any software – you can join from your browser, but there is also the option to use the dedicated Zoom app if you prefer.    

Once you join, you can choose whether to have your camera on or off. All members are muted, but you can ask questions or make comments in the chat.  Join and leave any time during the session, so why not choose a topic that you like the sound of and drop in to see what you think.   

We know that the regular Thursday slot doesn’t suit everyone, so we are varying the times and days of the week from time to time. If you would like to send us feedback on the programme or the scheduling we’d love to hear from you – suggestions always welcome!  

WEA Learn: six months on  

WEA Learn has grown rapidly since launching in September 2025 with 15 courses. The response has been extremely positive and we’re really pleased to share that we are attracting a wider range of learners than expected. 

Here’s some of the highlights:  

• 57% of learners are completely new to the WEA
• Many of our learners are returning after a break of 5–10 years
• By February 2026, 470 learners have taken part, with almost a third booking more than one course
• Learners are joining from across the UK, but we are also seeing learners joining us from Europe, the USA and Canada!
• A varied mix of introductory, core and specialist courses, combined with simple booking and increased visibility through Eventbrite, is helping new audiences discover us
• Interest is growing in evening, weekend and themed Collections, making it easier for people to explore topics that suit their interests and schedules 

What’s next for WEA Learn 

WEA Learn began with Art Appreciation, History and Literature, and is now expanding into politics, current affairs, popular culture and a wider range of subjects. Courses are grouped into themed Collections to make browsing and booking straightforward. 

We are focusing on: 

• Increasing choice across more subjects and formats
• Longer booking windows, recognising that many learners plan well in advance (typically 30–33 days or more)
• More evening and weekend options to suit different lifestyles
• A forward programme extending into 2027 and beyond, giving learners confidence to plan ahead 

Our ambition is to establish WEA Learn as the leading destination for cultural learning, working with partners who share our values and vision…and we’d like your help. 

How you can help 

Members play a crucial role in helping WEA Learn continue to grow. Even small actions help more people find and enjoy our courses. 

Help people discover us 

1. Search “WEA Learn Eventbrite” or click this link and follow our page
2. Use the Eventbrite app or visit eventbrite.co.uk, search for WEA Learn, and set the location to online
3. Click the Favourite (heart) icon on courses and Collections to help improve our position in search results 

Spread the word 

• Share course links with friends, family, colleagues, online networks and your local community
• Support our posts and campaigns with a like, share or comment
• Share a flyer online: Flyer
• Send your ideas or suggestions to [email protected].

Get involved 

• Try a WEA Learn course and leave a positive rating if you enjoy it
• Give someone the gift of learning with a WEA Learn gift voucher 

Every action helps us strengthen the service and reach more people who could benefit from cultural learning. 

As Simon highlighted last month, the WEA has joined a broad coalition of organisations supporting the Together Alliance, a national campaign that aims to build solidarity across communities and reject division and racism.   

Just like we believe everyone has the right to learn, we believe everyone has the right to exist safely in our communities. We are seeing how division and hate are directly impacting our learners and colleagues, from cuts to ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) to feeling unsafe getting to our classes. WEA has a long history of promoting social justice and of strengthening communities through learning. That’s why we have joined many others in backing this coalition; we believe that we can change things together. 

As part of the campaign there will be a march through central London on Saturday 28 March and we welcome the whole WEA community to join us.

The Together Alliance is backed by a broad coalition of organisations - collectively representing over 7 million people - all marching together for love, hope and unity. Many celebrities are also giving their support, including Sir Lenny Henry. You can learn more about who is signed up here: Endorsements — Together Alliance. 

I want to get involved - where do I find out more?  

The demonstration will start from Park Lane, central London at midday on Saturday 28th March. There are many coaches travelling from all over the UK and the Together Alliance website has advice to help you plan your journey: Together Alliance: Plan your journey  

If you want to march with WEA learners and colleagues, we will be meeting by the north entrance of Berkley Square between 11:15 – 11:45. To find us spot the WEA flags. 

So that we all know what we mean by Lifelong Learning we are adopting the UNESCO definition while we work in the Lifelong Learning Labs. 

Lifelong learning addresses … 

All age groups 
Lifelong learning is a process that starts at birth and extends across the whole lifespan. It provides people of all ages and origins with learning opportunities and activities, responding to their specific needs in different life and professional stages.  

All levels of education 
Lifelong learning is about linking all levels and types of education, building adaptable pathways between them. This includes early childhood care and education, primary and secondary school education, higher education, adult and non-formal education, and technical and vocational education and training. 

All learning modalities 
Lifelong learning recognizes all modalities of learning: formal (institutionalized, leading to recognized qualifications), non-formal (institutionalized, alternative or complementary to formal education, usually not leading to recognized qualifications) and informal (not institutionalized, on a self-directed, family-directed, community or socially directed basis).  

All learning spheres and spaces 
Schools are just one part of a wide learning universe, a space that also includes families, communities, workplaces, libraries, museums and other online and distance learning platforms. To promote lifelong learning is to build bridges between the formal education sector and non-formal and informal learning environments in order to create new opportunities for very diverse learning needs. 

A variety of purposes 
Lifelong learning is both people-centred and human rights-based. Its purpose is to provide people with opportunities to develop their capabilities and reach their potential throughout life, regardless of their starting points; to acknowledge a wide range of learning needs and demands; and to contribute to the development of an advanced economy and inclusive society.  

https://www.unesco.org/en/lifelong-learning/need-know 

We feel that this definition touches on a number of elements which we want to explore further in the Labs: 

• Connections between formal and informal learning
• All ages
• “People-centred and human rights based” – part of a wider social justice movement
• Anywhere – community settings and online as well as traditional education settings
• “a wide learning universe” 

In other words, we feel that the discussions shouldn’t be hampered or “bogged down” by narrow or technical definitions of what we mean. 

It is also helpful to know that the Learning & Work Institute adopts a similarly broad definition in its annual survey of participation.  

“The survey adopts a purposely broad definition of learning, extending beyond government and employer funded education and training opportunities for adults: ‘Learning can mean practising, studying, or reading about something. It can also mean being taught, instructed or coached. This is so you can develop skills, knowledge, abilities or understanding of something. Learning can also be called education or training. You can do it regularly (each day or month) or you can do it for a short period of time. It can be full-time or part-time, done at home, at work, or in another place like college. Learning does not have to lead to a qualification. We are interested in any learning you have done, whether or not it was finished.’” 

https://learningandwork.org.uk/resources/research-and-reports/adult-participation-in-learning-survey-2025/ 

We feel that these broad definitions help us to get the conversation going, but if you feel that the definitions leave anything out or need approaching differently, let us know.