Learning New Skills in Lambeth

Learn new skills

Learning new skills can be daunting - you may feel like you do not have enough time or that you actually don’t need to learn new things. However, there are lots of different ways to bring learning into your life and you can enjoy this process with others such as friends and family. 

Here are some ideas:

Relaxation - have you always wanted to create pockets of calm in your day? The Brixton Buddhist Centre provides a variety of meditation and mindfulness classes in the heart of Brixton.

Gardening and growing your own food for cooking - being outside has heaps of benefits for your physical and mental health. Learning to help things grow is not only satisfying, but can help you cook a delicious, healthy meal! Check out Brockwell Park Greenhouses for their allotment classes.

Volunteer to help your community - there are many different places and ways to volunteer in Lambeth. You could become a neighbourhood champion, get involved in preserving Lambeth’s parks or make a difference with children and young people. Take a look at the options here.

Trying out a new hobby is fun and can also be a good way to meet new people. Try new hobbies that challenge you, such as writing a blog, taking up a new sport or learning to paint.

Here are some handpicked suggestions of hobbies to take up in Lambeth and its surrounding areas:

- Fancy a game of Tennis? Or want one-to-one coaching? Lifetime Tennis is a community Tennis Club based in Brockwell Park, Herne Hill.

- Learn to skate with Roll Happy - join Roll Happy if you are new to roller skating or lacking in confidence on your skates. Roll Happy are running a fun-packed 6 weeks of weekly, one-hour classes to get you rolling confidently. Their instructors will teach you to roller skate forwards, backwards, turn and stop in a safe and inclusive indoor space.

- Have a desire to draw but don’t know how to get started? Have a go at Life Drawing at Brixton Life Drawing. 

- Always wanted to learn Tai Chi? Friends of Tate Library Brixton are now offering online morning classes so you can log in and wake up to Tai Chi.

- Like to cook? Master authentic Italian recipes with Luca. 

Morley College was founded in 1889 and has a number of sites across London including Stockwell. Morley College offers a range of Health and Wellbeing focused courses, such as Reiki, Dance, Theatre and The Alexander Technique. For a full list of courses that are offered at their Stockwell centre, click here.

High Trees offer a range of courses like Yoga for mindfulness, The art of confident speaking or Mindful mandela mosaics. For the full list of courses take a look at their website.

Would you prefer to complete a course at home? Gain understanding about health and wellbeing through this free course - Improving Personal Exercise, Health and Nutrition - which is government funded and one that you can take at your own pace.

Courses at home
Want to do a course at home? There is a whole range of free courses available to residents of Lambeth and Southwark such as 6 week courses in nutrition, mental health first aid and environmental awareness. Take a look here at the full list of what is available. Also, did you know that The Lambeth adult learning hub has a variety of courses to choose from and are ideal for people getting back into studying.

Two long standing Brixton arts organisations, Photofusion and 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, have got together to offer free courses for unemployed or low-income adults living in Lambeth.

Three Factory Production House Step-Up courses are designed to strengthen and extend participants’ creative practice and to improve their prospects as they move into the arts, creative industries or further education.

The 10-week courses – in photography, art and design, and video – are a great way to learn new skills, network with other creative people and make new work, say the organisers. Courses are open to any Lambeth resident who is 19 or over and unemployed or on a low income.

Email: thefactoryproductionhouse@photofusion.org to sign up or take a look online at the Brixton Blog to find out more.

There is no health without mental health.

What is mental health and wellbeing? And how do we look after it, let alone help other people to do so? It’s a playground is a wellbeing organisation that aspires to make a change by fighting stigma around mental health.

Pop Brixton based Laura Rigden is the founder of It’s a playground and is offering free online sessions to people living or working in Lambeth. Here are a few of the upcoming events:

Check out the events page to find out more!