23RD JAN 2026
What’s It Like to Join Our Recreational Evening Courses?
It’s never too late to try something new, and our recreational evening courses at Gloucestershire College prove just that! Whether it’s picking up a creative skill, exploring a long-held interest or simply making time for yourself to do something new, our part-time recreational courses are designed to fit around real life.
Flexible, welcoming and fun, these courses bring together learners of all ages and backgrounds — and who better to tell you what it’s really like than the students themselves? Read and watch the videos to hear more.
Vanessa - Italian Intermediate
"Firstly, the teacher is absolutely fantastic and she's so welcoming and supportive. I love Italy, and I love travelling there so the idea is that I'll be able to speak with the Italians and carry on studying as well to keep improving. Make your next Italian holiday really wonderful because you'll be able to speak to Italians."
Helen - Spanish Intermediate
"The teacher is fantastic, Yolanda is a native speaker and she has got lots of real world experience that she adds to the class. It just is so much fun every evening that we get together. We've all got busy lives but even that little bit of outside the classroom reinforcement makes a massive difference. Everyone gets catered for and welcomed."
Iain - Advanced Photography
"It was something that was going to increase my passion and enthusiasm for taking pictures, I'd lost it over the last few years and I decided this was going to be something to rekindle that. It's been a long time since I was in an environment like this but it's worth it. It's worth it to overcome that discomfort, to feel that challenge because at the end of it you look at what you've done and it gives you a sense of satisfaction."
Isobel - Learn to Sew
"It's fun, it's exciting, it's creative. I've now got something out of the course that I will just use in my everyday life. It's easy to fit in, you know, once a week. It's just a nice space to get out of the house. I'm going to go on to do the Introduction to Dressmaking course so carry on with the theme and hopefully this time next year I'll be making my own clothes."
Lorella - Italian Intermediate
"I lived in Italy for a year and I'd quite like to go over again and this time be a bit more confident with my conversional Italian. It's not too pressured but at the same time we do learn quite a lot. However, it can be a break from work and it's something completely different. It gives you that complete escapism from every day. We're all coming from the same background, so just come and study"
Discover Evening Courses at GC
Explore CoursesOur Recreational Evening Courses cover a wide range of subjects, including:
- Dance and Movement
- Barbering and Hairdressing
- British Sign Language
- Languages
- Creative Writing
- Drawing and Painting
- Photography and Video Production
- Flower Arranging
Courses run throughout the year, with start dates available in September/October, January, and April, across our three campuses in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Forest of Dean.
