Pershore & District

Ideas for rainy days

During rainy days, when the weather prevents us from getting outside, you may find gaps in your day that need filling. Here you will find a collection of interesting resources that will help you to stay stimulated and interested.

It would be good if we could share our ideas on this page. Have you found anything to interest and occupy you on the internet that we can share? Email the website team with your ideas via the blue bird.

If you find the links below do not open for you, then right click the link to bring up a menu and choose 'Open in new tab'. You will then see the site on the next tab along at the top of the screen.

The links are tested regularly, but please let us know of any links that no longer work - they will change often. Please go to the Contacts page and choose to message 'Website'.

u3a Online

  • Check the u3a Online Events page for free tutorials, talks and workshops on various different subjects inc. maths, yoga, crosswords, art etc.
  • This might be a good time to try out the Virtual u3a. There are online activity groups across a range of interest areas and there is a 'coffee shop' where you can just go online for a chat. It could be well worth the £12 annual subscription.

General Interest

  • The Skills Toolkit has been created by the Government to provide free online courses primarily to improve job prospects. However it does include some basic computing courses that may be of benefit if you are unfamiliar with computers, as well as stress and wellbeing courses. They range from as little as 20 minutes to over 40 hours.
  • This site will direct you to a wide range of Things To Do At Home for FREE, but beware of the advertising. With things like languages, knitting, cooking, origami, and keep fit. The virtual tour section will take you all around the world from the Louvre to the Taj Mahal or the Sistine Chapel.
  • ChatterPack - Describe themselves as a list of free, online, boredom-busting resources. ChatterPack lists items under headings of virtual tours, on line learning, geography, music, arts, literature, skills. There really is something for everyone!
  • Mirthy Talks are presenting free talks at 4:00pm on Thursday afternoons. Some talks are free, some have to be paid for. Visit Mirthy Talks to see what is available and to book your place.

Reading, Literature and More

  • Whether you are already a member of Worcestershire Libraries or not you can sign up online for digital membership to access many of their normal services, as well as borrow free audio books and magazines, and access online events, training and support groups.
  • The online company Audible are offering Free audio books to stream on your desktop, laptop, phone or tablet. The books are graded for kids to teens and classics where you will find things like learning a language or a Shakespearean play.

Travel from your Sofa

  • Visit England have put together their own selection of virtual tours of places like museums, castles and zoos. Many are free but the shows and experiences tend to be chargeable.
  • If you are missing your holidays you can visit up to 15 locations around the World with Virtual Trips live streamed by a local tour guide. Book your place for free.
  • Tiptoe through the tulips with these virtual tours of the Keukenhof Tulip Park in Holland which will be posting new videos each week. The Tulip season has not yer started, but the 23 videos taken between March and May last year are still available to see.

Nature

  • Explore nature from honey bees to giant pandas, from nesting humming birds to osprey, from coral reefs to the African plains via Livecams set up all around the world and streaming live. You can also catch the Northern Lights or visit the NASA space Station.

Art

  • Relax, Look and Imagine - A series of seven short films which were created by the University of Cambridge using artworks from the Fitzwilliam Museum‘s collection to help you to relax and look in detail at an individual painting. All seven films can be viewed at Objects in Focus

Music

  • The Metropolitan Opera are streaming a different opera each day. Go to Metropolitan Opera and press 'Watch now'
  • The OSO Arts Centre in London are offering access to free online live performances of their Piano Bar singers like Sofia Kirwan-Baez or Jonny Danciger. They start at 8:00pm on Wednesday evenings via YouTube where you can join in the live chat with the singer and even make requests. Click Ticket Source to request your free ticket, they will send you the YouTube link on the day of the performance. You will be asked for email and address but not your name or payment details.
  • Making Music, the UK's organisation for amateur musicians, has been streaming Virtual Concerts made from submissions from their members. They last about 40 minutes and can be seen on the Making Music YouTube Channel.
  • The Shows Must Go On project which was started by Andrew LLoyd Webber in April 2020 saw some of his best loved musicals shown for free on YouTube. Since then many others have released there productions for free, usually only for 48 hours. It is worth checking regularly on The Show Must Go On YouTube Channel for announcements of what is coming up.

Exercise - Don't forget to keep active with these beginners videos. Do you have a favorite to share?

With grateful thanks to other u3as, particularly Evesham u3a, who generously shared some of these links

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