Following an excellent season of skillsharing at the Sumac last autumn, we have a whole new programme planned!
Workshops are run every Saturday afternoon and are free!

They are all run for free by volunteers from our community. Our aim is to build the confidence and skills of people in our community by sharing the skills we already have. It also aims to prepare us for dealing with climate change and peak oil. If you have any skills you could share, or something you would like to learn, get in touch.

Some workshops have limited places (see below) and you need to book in advance. Please telephone or email to do this. Currently sessions are aimed at adults. Children must be accompanied.

Flier can be downloaded below to distribute, or hard copies picked up for distribution from the Sumac Centre.

For directions to the Sumac see  http://www.veggies.org.uk/sumac/map.html

If you are interested in getting involved with organising the skillshare (more people needed!) get in touch!

THE PROGRAMME:
Dealing with debt: 19th January, 2-5pm
Looking at the difference between priority debts (council tax, rent arrears, gas, electric etc) and non-priority debts (credit cards, unsecured loans, catalogue debts etc), and the different strategies for handling them - including how to prepare a financial statement.

Clothing alteration: 26th January, 2-5pm
Learn how to alter and mend your clothes and make them more funky! Will include how to deal with holes and stains using applique. Bring your clothes to mend. (Unfortunately we cannot offer taking trousers in at the waist.)

Building computers: 2nd February, 2-5pm
This workshop opens up the case of your PC and shows you what's inside. You'll learn about the basic parts - motherboard, processor, memory, disk drives, cooling, graphics card, etc - and how they all fit together. These skills will help you to identify and repair hardware problems, and even build your own computer from scratch.

Fruit tree pruning: 9th February, 1-5pm. Limited numbers - please book.
Learn the rights and wrongs of fruit-tree and bush pruning at Ecoworks, St Anns Allotments. Transport from Sumac at 1pm or meet us there.

Massage techniques: 16th February, 2-5pm
Covering basic therapeutic massage techniques. At the end of the session, you will be able to give a back, head/face and foot massage. Bring something comfy to lie on like a mat, blanket and a towel.

Navigation: 23rd February, 1-5pm. Limited numbers - please book.
Introduction to basic navigation using a map and compass, finishing with a real life exercise in local countryside. Meet at Sumac at 1pm. Bring a compass if you have one. Small donations towards transport costs may be required.

Back to the land: 1st March, 2-5pm
Learn about land access issues in the 21st century including setting up land-based co-operative projects. We will look at how current issues like peak oil and climate change affect these projects.

Home energy efficiency: 8th March, 2-5pm
Learn how to combat climate change at its source. Over 50% of CO2 released in this country comes from buildings, but we can easily reduce that figure by making simple and non intrusive changes to our homes. This work shop will give you ideas how.

Vegan cake making: 15th March, 2-5pm. Limited numbers - please book.
Discover the fine art of making cakes with no animal ingredients. Learn our resident master chefs' secrets or share your own. Includes some theory, and goes on to actual baking and decoration! Small donations requested to cover cake ingredients so you can take them home.

Legal advice for activists: 22nd March, 2-5pm
Find out about the law and what your rights are around protest from experienced activists and a legal expert. Includes an arrest role play.

Basic vehicle maintenance: 29th March, 2-5pm. Limited numbers - please book.
Stumped how your vehicle works? This workshop will teach you how to do basic maintenance jobs yourself, as well as giving you a basic knowledge of how your engine works.

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Creative writing: Mondays 28th Jan, 11th & 25th Feb, 10th & 24th March, 7.30 -9.30pm.
Language is what makes us human, and writing, whether in print or other media, is at the heart of language. These workshops will get our collective creative juices flowing, whether we write to communicate (serious) messages or issues, or simply to enjoy using language. We'll be playing writing games, talking about writing, and looking (and listening) to our efforts on paper.