Make, Create + Calculate!

This fun and creative course will take you on the first step towards beginning your level 1 or level 2 maths. In our friendly weekly sessions, you will have the chance to: 

• Have fun being creative

• Build your confidence with numbers

• Learn about 3D printers, laser cutters + more

• Be supported with your future maths learning options

This course is open to anyone aged 19+ and who doesn’t currently have a level 1 or level 2 in maths. We are running 2 courses – one at KWMC The Factory which is open to anyone in South Bristol, and one at Knowle West Nursery School which is open to parents and has a free creche available. See times and dates below.  

During and after the course there will be support available from our team to help you onto the next step in your learning journey. 

Come and join us!

Weekly sessions starting Thursday mornings from 12th October at KWMC: The Factory, Unit 24, Filwood Green Business Park, Bristol BS4 1ET 

Weekly sessions for parents (with free creche) starting Friday mornings from 13^th October at Knowle West Nursery School.  

Booking is essential, please contact Dani by email dani@kwmc.org.uk or call/text/whatsapp 07511 587659 

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This course is part of the Multiply programme which offers easy access to free numeracy courses and initiatives where you can gain a qualification, and build your confidence with numbers.

These free sessions are part of the Unlock Your Potential, Skills For Life Multiply Programme run by the UK Government through West of England Combined Authority.

There are more courses and offers for beginners and those who want to build on the foundations of their
maths knowledge – to more advanced courses such as GCSE Maths, Level 2 Functional Skills Qualification, or equivalent. You will be able to learn at a pace that suits you.

Visit skillsforlife.campaign.gov.uk/multiply to find out about Multiply offers and take your next step to
better numeracy.

Our Creative Cuppa has been going for a few months now and we’re so excited to see it taking off! We have seen a huge variety of people of all sorts of ages and abilities coming through our doors. 

One of our favourite things about Creative Cuppa is seeing local people sharing their skills and teaching us all new things. In one of the first ever sessions in May 2023, Julian (who began The Art of Kindness project) showed us how to braid friendship bracelets using a handmade cardboard template. Inspired by this, we laser cut our own templates into wood over at The Factory and since then they have been a popular craft choice at every session. Regular Creative Cuppa-er Frank has made dozens of braids in all sorts of colours, even learning how to make more advanced braids using YouTube.  

Another Creative Cuppa-er named Oliver created a 3D printed version of the template which we have been taking for a spin too. Oliver also led a whole session teaching us how to make yarn diamonds – made by weaving a design out of yarn onto crisscrossing sticks. This was his first time teaching and he found it to be an enjoyable experience. He was very impressed that everyone he taught managed to make one. 

We have collaborated with other facilitators too. Suzie from Filwood Community Centre came to run a session making cyanotypes (blueprints of photo negatives, flowers, or objects). They usually expose in UV light from sunshine but since it was a rainy day, we went for a DIY setup using a UV light bulb to expose our prints inside. It was fun to reminisce over KWMC’s origins as a photography studio! 

We have played with some digital equipment during sessions as well. Local mum Becky wanted to create some personalised ‘thank you’ gifts for schoolteachers with her friends. So together we designed personal bookmarks and keyrings on the computer then laser cut them. We got some more creative technology inspiration in another session by inviting a Masters Immersive Technology (University of Bristol) student named James to test his creative augmented reality experience which used data from our Twinergy project.  

Here’s just a few of the positive things people have said about our sessions so far: 

“I enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, the company and interaction. Varied art subjects and topics to try.” – Frank, a Creative Cuppa regular. 

“Super friendly staff and people. Creative activities sharing knowledge” – Clair after her first Creative Cuppa.  

“It has been so lovely to see people gaining confidence in their creativity. So many have said ‘I can’t do it!’ but with a bit of encouragement next thing we know they’ve made one and sometimes they’re even helping someone else do it too.” – Ella, Creative Cuppa facilitator. 

We are excited to continue our Creative Cuppas. Come and join us for free hot drinks, chats and creative making. Freestyle with any materials you like or follow along with an easy little project. All ages and abilities are welcome. No crafting experience needed, just have a play. Drop into KWMC (Leinster Avenue, Knowle West, Bristol) anytime from 10am-12pm on Wednesdays (except for 20th September when we are taking a break). Not in the mood for creativity or chats? Welcome to just come and have a quiet cuppa, use our speedy free WiFi, or browse our free clothing donations. 

Creative Cuppa is part of the Welcoming Spaces network. A Welcoming Space is a place where people can shelter from the weather, socialise with others, take part in activities and access support. Find other Welcoming Spaces near you here. 

If you have any questions or if you would like to sign up to our mailing list to find out what we’re planning to make each week, email ella.chedburn@kwmc.org.uk or call us on 0117 903 0444.

Creatives Paul Granjon, Ruth Hennell and Oliver Woods spent a rainy day experimenting at the Springfield Allotments. 

What is a mud battery? It is a battery made from just soil and two metal parts. It captures energy from microscopic organisms in the soil. These microscopic organisms release a small amount of electrons/electricity as they consume and break-down organic matter in the soil. In this case, it is just enough to power a tiny red light bulb. Paul has previously worked with these batteries to create works like ‘Singing Compost’ and ‘Power of Mud’. 

Since the batteries can create soundwaves, fellow collaborator Ruth has been wondering if we could play with different ways we can perceive it  – slowing it down, finding patterns, or using it to generate soil drawings. Meanwhile, Oliver was amazed at how this technology enabled the earth to communicate something that is usually invisible to us. What else does the earth have to say? More experimentation will happen soon!

Paul also shared a macroscope camera which captures magnified images. The camera could be attached to different objects and would feedback a live video viewable on a laptop. This means you can get really creative with where you put the camera, using it to view previously inaccessible angles. The group tried attaching it to the bottom of a stick, exploring angles close to the ground. They also had ideas for making the macroscope controllable from the top of the stick. 

Ruth used the digital macroscope to continue her ongoing exploration of the intersection of disabled access aids and the natural world. She has been considering the connections with the different ways more-than-human beings inhabit the garden lab space, like snails, who carry their own shells with them, just she carries her mat!

Ruth often needs to lie down on her mat on the floor throughout the day due to chronic pain, so looking from the ground is an angle quite familiar to her. It was exciting to share this angle with Oliver Woods, a natural world photographer who usually photographs things from his wheelchair. Ruth has been wondering whether this technology could be used to enable her mum Hilary, who is visually impaired, to experience the smaller details in nature; thinking of the possibilities to adjust the contrast or turn digital images into tactile objects at KWMC The Factory. 

What an exciting start! We can’t wait to share more as this project progresses. Keep an eye on our project webpage for upcoming blogs.

Garden Lab Whispers Grow is funded by Bristol + Bath Creative R+D Grounding Technologies and supported by Impetus. To carry out the project, KWMC is collaborating with Paul Granjon, Ruth Hennell and local green groups. Paul is a Wales-based artist with a background in DIY technology and Ruth is a Bristol-based disabled interdisciplinary designer and accessibility advocate. Together, we will co-create a ‘garden lab’ to grow more caring relationships with nature and inclusive processes for climate action. Supporting KWMC’s aims for setting up future long-term citizen science programmes in the neighbourhood.