I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just had confirmation from WEA that we can go ahead with the courses we requested for Autumn ‘21, and a day school we were invited to submit is now available for booking - hurrah on both counts!!

As those of you we’ve seen in the last few weeks know, everyone is tentatively optimistic that September may see us being able to venture back into The Real World. Consequently, courses are scheduled in three of Robert’s traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ venues in and around York. Even the most confident wielder of a crystal ball would surely balk at saying whether such things will actually be possible come September, but it’s exciting to be able to work towards them, and we’ll implement alternative plans should they become necessary. We know that a lot of you have felt unable to join us online, and Robert can’t wait to see you again!

But we remain firmly committed to online courses for those of you who are further afield (and, indeed, those who are York-ish-based but have come to prefer online courses - much to your surprise, in many cases!). It’s been wonderful to meet those of you whom we would not have met were it not for These Unprecedent Times, and we’re both chuffed to bits that so many of you want to stay with us even when more traditional alternatives are possible! We’re delighted that online WEA courses are also an option for autumn and, as we have always said, we shall continue to offer online freelance courses for as long as they are wanted!

So voila, the bare bones of autumn’s WEA courses (as currently planned)…

Mondays 10.00, Bishopthorpe: Age of Improvement: Industry and society 1750 - 1900 (C3679669); 20/09/2021-29/11/2021

Mondays 19.15, online: Age of Rococo: History, art, and culture in the 18th century (C3679659); 20/09/2021-29/11/2021

Tuesdays 11.45, online: Imperial Rome: From Augustus to Severus (C3679667); 21/09/2021-30/11/2021

Wednesdays 14.00, Wigginton: Age of Improvement: Industry and society 1750 - 1900 (C3679673); 22/09/2021-1/12/2021

Fridays 10.00, Pickering: Age of Baroque: Art, history, and culture in the 17th century (C3679674); 24/09/2021-03/12/2021

Please note: Robert’s WEA autumn courses are not yet available to book. We’ve submitted the necessary paperwork to WEA by return, and shall contact you all again as soon as we’ve received notification that they are available for booking. As a general rule, we’ve always held off posting the courses here until they are actually bookable, to avoid any confusion or frustration. On this occasion, however, we hope that WEA won’t mind us giving you a ‘sneak preview’ - we know that many of you are eager to plan your autumnal activities, and as the priority booking for WEA courses is looming ever-closer we wanted to give you as much time as possible to do so before the courses are open for booking.

In the meantime, there are still a few places left on A History of York, which starts next Thursday, and our autumn freelance options are open for registration (and many thanks to those of you who have already booked!) - see here, here, and here for further details. Additionally, an In Real Life day school on Byzantium at Bishopthorpe is now available for booking, on which voila (click on the course title to go to the relevant course page):

Byzantium

Saturday, 17 July 2021, 10:00 am - 3:30 pm

Bishopthorpe, York

We hope that you’re all having a super half-term break, and able to take advantage of the pleasures of seeing friends, family, and/or some decent weather! We’ll be in touch again as soon as we have further developments.