Past Courses + Events

Expression of Freedom Project.

I’m delighted to have been collaborating this autumn with Leicestershire based photographer Linda Young on the ‘Expression of Freedom’ Project. Following our successful ‘Click Create Connect’ collaboration project in Erewash we’ve been working with two groups of young people engaging with Youth Services in Leicestershire. Along with their youth workers we’ve been busy supporting and inspiring … Read more

Let’s Start Writing

If you’ve always thought about writing, but never known where to begin, this course is perfect for you. With a small, friendly group and a supportive tutor you’ll be surprised to learn that the many different writing genres call for writers with different personality types, interests and lifestyles. We’ll find out what’s involved in the … Read more

Summer Writing Retreat

Escape to Denman – it’s the perfect place for an indulgent Summer Writing Retreat. Make 2020 the year you dig out that unfinished writing project languishing in a drawer, or come and begin something completely new. Join inspirational classroom sessions with tips, ideas and constructive feedback then work in ‘one to one’ sessions with W.I. … Read more

Creative Writing for Well Being

Creative writing is therapeutic, relaxing and good for us. It enhances our well-being and boosts self-confidence. On this course we’ll begin by exploring gentle routes into creative writing using music, location, colours, essential oils and the seasons. We’ll move on to look at a variety of writing genres to help you identify which could be … Read more

Let’s Start Writing Sketches

The Women’s Institute has a proud heritage of writing and performing sketches and short plays to entertain ourselves and each other, as well as performing for other members of our communities. Sketch writing and acting is every bit as much fun now as it always was, and this course is designed to continue with the … Read more

Have You Ever Thought About Writing Your Life Story?

Chrissie will be delivering a lively interactive morning entertainment all about life story writing with a menu of delicious tales to tell about the ‘lives’ she’s helped to write. She’ll include a brief light-hearted glimpse back to life writers of the past with tips and suggestions for today, including what to put in; what to … Read more

A Day of Six One-Act Plays

Chrissie is delighted to be working with Derbyshire Scriptwriters and Derby Theatre during Spring 2023 in an exciting collaboration bringing six new plays from members of Derbyshire Scriptwriters to the Studio Theatre. Script in hand performances by local actors, along with Q&A sessions. Performances Sat 11th March 2.30 pm, 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm, tickets … Read more

Creative Writing for Beginners

Thank you to the hard working and talented students who joined me for this course at Denman. We enjoyed discovering various creative prompt ideas together, and finding out which ‘genre’ of creative writing best fitted our different personalities, interests and life styles. We worked on short stories, and for those of us who liked the … Read more

Winter Writing Retreat

What a happy, creative and eventful week we had on our Winter Writing Retreat at Denman and thank you to everyone for all the writing they shared and all the constructive criticism we enjoyed. There’s certainly no such thing as an ‘ordinary’ woman and we travelled the world during our writing. We travelled by sea … Read more

Have the Last Word (Write Your Own Eulogy!)

You’ve made a will, you’ve decided on a final resting place, you’ve perhaps even pre-payed your funeral – but what about your Eulogy? Are you going to leave your family and friends trying to remember things about you to tell a minister or celebrant, or struggling to decide what to say in their own whistle-stop … Read more

Hares and Rainbows

Whether you’re an accomplished writer, or you’ve never written anything except a shopping list before, join our relaxed, friendly creative writing workshop run by Chrissie Hall. Using the exhibition to inspire us, we’ll enjoy finding our own words, poetic or otherwise, to express our responses to the exhibition. We’ll consider the phenomenon of ‘unfinished’ artistic … Read more

Banish Winter Solstice Blues

Thank you to the small ‘but perfectly formed’ group of students who joined me at Denman recently to Banish Winter Solstice Blues. We had such an interesting time – and loved sharing our own creative ways of dealing with the difficult times which we all have to face. Being creative is wonderfully therapeutic and we … Read more

Creative Writing for Beginners

Research tells us that writing expressively is therapeutic, relaxing and good for you. It enhances well-being and boosts self-confidence. Together we’ll explore routes to creative writing with music, location, colours, language essential oils and the seasons. Whether you’ve never written anything but shopping lists, or whether you’ve been a secret scribbler for years, escape to … Read more

Have You Ever Thought About Writing Your Life Story?

Writing your life story or memoir with a specialist life story writing facilitator and a supportive group of like-minded people is a wonderfully reflective and enjoyable occupation. This course is relaxed informal and friendly, designed to give you all the help and inspiration you need to plan, write and organise your own unique life story, … Read more

Real Women in Love

Do you remember your first love? Did you marry your childhood sweetheart? Did you have a glorious affair with a secret lover? Is your love story a fairy-tale ‘Happy Ever After’, is it simply shades of grey, or is it tragedy and heartbreak all the way? Join us to write about REAL women in (and … Read more

Brightside Creative Writing

Supporting Mental Health Through Learning Something New. Come and join us for these free fun relaxed sessions and develop confidence in a friendly environment. We begin on Friday the 11th of January 2019 for 6 weeks at Ilkeston Library, Market St, Ilkeston DE7 5RN 10.00am – 12.00 noon For booking and more information tel. 01629 … Read more

Winter Writing Retreat

Thank you to all those sparkling ladies who escaped to the lovely Denman College to enjoy our Creative Writing Winter Retreat. We had a happy and productive time together. We heard about being a Toastmaster/mistress! and scary spider stories, real experiences written to entertain an audience while exploring a debilitating phobia which affects so many … Read more

Winter Solstice Poetry Residency

With a Poetry Residency from Erewash Borough Council Arts Development Team Chrissie Hall was asked to identify a group to work with as part of the Winter Solstice event planned to take place in Ilkeston’s Award Winning Victoria Park in December.   Challenges • Making contact with a group. • Arranging a venue. • Agreeing … Read more