Have we hit the sweet spot…? New courses for Spring 2023!
How on earth is it already Week 4 of term?! We hope that 2023 is treating you all well, and that those of you who are with us this term are enjoying our current offerings as much as we’re enjoying you being with us for them!
Many thanks to everyone who responded to our plea for a steer on how we might best schedule our courses to hit the sweet spot between when we Night Owls of Wrightington Towers function best* and when you, O Denizens, would like us to be on air.
*[In related news, we’ve decided that we’re going to try not beating ourselves up about our naturally antipodean circadian rhythms in the light of this timely article!]
As many of you have reminded us, we can’t please all of the people all of the time, but we’ve certainly done our darnedest to make as many of you as possible as happy as we possibly can, and hope that we’ve managed to create a sweet spot for you!
So without further ado…
Laydeez and gentlemen… Brace yourselves for a fanfare…
It’s time to announce next term’s offerings!
By popular request, our first 10-weeker for Spring is Medieval Monasticism: Abbeys and Priories in the north of England. Having spent many years between us researching medieval monasticism, we’re especially excited about this one, and can’t wait to introduce you to the glories of monk-y business (sorry-not-sorry). Using Robert’s specialism in northern English monasticism as the primary focus, this course gives a window into monasticism on a much broader scale.
Our second 10-weeker has been requested equally enthusiastically, so we happily present unto you The Greeks. The title alone will, I’m sure, tell you all you need to know, but as ever, you’ll find further details on the course page by clicking the title a few lines above!
Due to the higher-than-usual number of bank holiday Mondays on the horizon,* we’ve not got a full course in our traditionally popular Monday evening slot this term.
*[hmmm… wonder if there’s something going on in the realm…?]
We do, however, still have a steady stream of Robertian Pearls of Wisdom for your springtime Mondays, courtesy of a trio of Short & Sweet Schooldays courses! Each of these is in direct response to Denizens’ requests and general enthusiasms, and the title of each is fairly self-explanatory, so without further ceremony, we present…
Next up, in light of the wonderfully positive feedback on Great Archaeological Discoveries (online last summer and at Pickering last term), might we tempt you with a 7-week tour of lost worlds and vanished lives on Wednesday evenings with Lost Worlds…?
[Now… what else is there…?
Aaaah yes… it’s coming back to me now. There is indeed something about to happen in the realm…!]
In homage to a certain imminent important and historic event in British history, we offer a cheeky Short & Sweet Saturdays course as a bridge between this term and next, in the form of The Royal Painters.
Royal authority has always been expressed via rituals and images. Join us for an exploration of some of our favourite royal iconography to get you in the mood for Charles III’s coronation!
Finally in general Team Wrightington news…. We’re delighted to report that we’re two weeks into a StriveLive Start-up Incubator. (Yup. I know… it does indeed sound like one of my trademark neoligisms, but on this occasion it wasn’t me!). It’s a 7-week online programme for grassroots entrepreneurs,* - courtesy of the York and North Yorkshire Growth Hub, with the fabulous team at Enterprise CUBE at the helm, and a space in which to meet 29 other lovely start-ups.
*[Note to self: add ‘grassroot entrepreneur’ to CVs]
All of us in one zoom box? Is that even legal??
With previous conferences/training/mentoring programmes, Robert’s usually disappeared upstairs to work or pottered about (sporadically supplying refreshments appropriate to the time of day and stress/boredom levels), but he was so enthused by what he overheard whilst pottering during the first session of this that he’s joining me for the whole course. As you can imagine, it’s strange to be on the same zoom screen together, but we’re getting used to it! More importantly, we’re both mightily heartened by the course so far. Should you (or anyone you know) be in the preliminary or early days of a new small business, we heartily recommend getting in touch with the lovely Strive people to explore eligibility for future events.
In related news… I’ve now made the About Me (formerly just about Robert, for obvious reasons) section of our website an About Us section. Thank you for encouraging me do so (you know who you are)!
Phew! So that’s our news for now. There are a few more Short & Sweets and in-venue courses still to be confirmed (watch this space in due course), but we didn’t want to wait any longer to share our main programme for next term. We hope you approve!
Shameless? Moi?? etc….