Check out new recently added Member Courses

In the past few weeks we have added a few new member courses.

Why Culture Matters

Culture is often assumed to refer solely to the “high arts” – aspects of culture that the upper classes have appropriated and ring-fenced for themselves – but culture is much wider than that. It is how we experience life. It is how we relate to each other. We all have as much right as anyone to enjoy and to participate in our cultural life. This is a series of short videos discussing different aspects of culture and how we can engage with them. They were all developed for us by our friends at the Culture Matters collective.

The Peasants’ Revolt Of 1381

The Peasants’ Revolt was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. A number of grievances reached a head with the introduction of the hated Poll Tax in 1380. When it was discovered that people were refusing to pay the decision to enforce collection resulted in an armed uprising, the result of which ensured no government attempted to levy a poll tax until Margaret Thatcher was once again defeated by popular resistance 600 years later.

The Putney Debates

Between 28th October and 11th November 1647, after the initial defeat of King Charles I in the first phase of the English Civil War, representatives of the New Model Army and the radical Levellers met in a church in Putney to debate the future of England. There was much to discuss: who should be allowed to vote, civil liberties and religious freedom. The debates were inconclusive, but the ideas aired in Putney had a considerable influence on centuries of political thought.

Marx & Engels In Britain

Karl Marx identified the inherent instability, exploitation and conflict at the heart of capitalist economics but also highlighted the power of workers to change it. He and his family became political exiles in London, where in collaboration with fellow German radical Friedrich Engels he became an influential theorist and organiser of the socialist movement. This unit looks at their time in England, their key ideas and provides links to all their major works and those of many of their contemporaries and those who explored their ideas further.

Section 28

People sometimes ask why we need LGBTQ+ Pride events. The events around Section 28 (aka Clause 28) is an example of just why. In 1988 the Conservative Government introduced the Local Government Act, Section 28 of which contained an amendment stating that a local authority “shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality,” or “promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.” It was not repealed until 2003, after a long campaign.

There is also an introductory How-To video to help people find their way around.

Other popular courses include our range of IT courses (from Getting To Know Your Computer, to Computer Skills in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook and Mailmerge, Zoom and a range of creative software), Family History, Music Lessons Anywhere and Give It A Go Creative Writing.

We try to add a course or two every month so it is always worth coming back to see what is new. If there is something you are particularly interested in seeing please let us know and we will see what we can do.