Get ready to embrace your creative side in Ludlow and its surroundings! The festive season is fast approaching, and there’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit than by participating in various arts and crafts workshops.
Whether you’re interested in crafting Christmas wreaths, mastering decorative finishes, delving into mixed media and collage, painting, playing with clay, or even trying your hand at upholstery, there’s a workshop for everyone. All the details are on our What’s On page. But here’s a glimpse of some of the arty things to do in and around Ludlow to entice you:
Christmas wreaths
We’ve spotted a bounty of Christmas wreath workshops in the area this year; you’re spoilt for choice! But you need to book quickly as these courses get snapped up super fast. Twigs Florists in Ludlow offer workshops between Thursday, 23 November and Tuesday, 12 December. They are £35 per person, including a mulled wine or hot chocolate, from 6 pm till 8 pm. Refreshments are available throughout the day, with lunch and mince pies included in the cost.
Brimfield & Little Hereford Sports Club are running a Christmas Workshop — wreath and floral arrangements — on 18 November from 10 am to 4 pm and includes materials to complete a wreath or an arrangement. However, they recommend participants bring extras for specific colour schemes. Places are limited so booking is essential. The cost is £40 (or £20 for anyone with a B&LHSC Membership Card).
The Christmas wreath workshops by Herefordshire florists Issy & Bella often sell out as soon as they announce the dates in September. Still, if you don’t try…
This year, they are collaborating and holding their workshops with Bloom and Grind, the Café and flower shop in the heart of Pembridge. Enjoy scrumptious Christmas drinks, seasonal yummy nibbles, plus a spot of Christmas shopping with their curated selection of gifts and decorations.
The Rural Wreath Co. will run their workshops from 2 -12 December in Cleobury Mortimer. The workshops include everything you need to create your beautiful wreath, hands-on demonstrations and a tipple of sloe gin or hot chocolate with a mince pie. Places are £45 per person, and discounts are available for group bookings of 6 or more.
Decorative finishes
Master gilder Roger Newton and his daughter, Kate, run their series of Master The Art workshops from Kate’s beautiful Georgian home in Leighton, Shropshire. The renowned course on Gilding and Paint finishes is coming up next, which takes place in February 2024. But, over the next few months, you can book on Paper Flowers with Charlotte Hepworth, Block Printing with Hares Tail Printing, cushion making and hand-painted Christmas candle making. Prices for a one-day workshop start from £130.00.
Mixed media and collage
New to Ludlow, Rachel Grevatte (Emily Found A Thing) is a mixed media artist with over 20 years of experience in teaching and developing her art practice. She’s holding a one-off workshop at Ludlow Assembly rooms on 11 November at 10.00 am. In this simple introduction to mixed media and collage art, create a stylised birch tree wood using acrylic inks, paper ephemera, collage and wax resist techniques. The two-hour workshop costs £40.00 with all materials included. Suitable for ages 15+.
Paint night at Ludlow Brewery
The Paint Club run their regular ‘paint and sip’ classes at Ludlow Brewery on Monday evenings from 7-9 pm. Tickets are £30.00 and include professional instructions from an artist, painting materials, plus a canvas to take home at the end of the workshop. Food and drink are separate. On Monday, 20 November, painters will be having a go at painting ‘a stag in a forest’!
Play with Clay
An evening class in hand-building with clay at established ceramic artist/sculptor Halima Cassell‘s studio is informal, fun and friendly. Halima will guide you to use your imagination to create your designs and ideas in clay, make a gift for a special occasion and maybe even a festive present or decoration. Classes will be run at Halima’s studio in Shropshire during term-time only. The cost is £25 per session, payable termly in advance. These 2-hour sessions are 7 pm – 9 pm, and the cost includes 5kg of clay and firing. Spaces are limited; only a couple were available when we went to press.
Upholstery
A Little Furniture Shop has just started booking their Upholstery workshops in November, which take place in their showroom in Craven Arms. The workshops are on Saturday afternoons between 1-3.30 pm for a minimum of 4 weeks. The organisers say, “If you’ve never upholstered before then short stints are a better way to learn”. You can bring your project and have some expert tuition in a fun and relaxed environment that includes tools.
