This article was written for Annabel & Grace, which is now part of Rest Less.
We have a truly action-packed August for you here at The Joy Club.
We’re always looking for ways to give our members more for their membership, which is why we have doubled the number of live online events available to enjoy! Premium members now have unlimited access to over 100 talks, classes and activities across a huge variety of topics every month. As one member said, “You have the world at your fingertips for a fiver!”.
Read on to see some of our recommendation picks for August…
Portrait painting with Lawrence
Thursday 4th August at 2.30pm
Join Lawrence – a self-taught, contemporary figurative artist based in London – for this session on portraiture. Lawrence will take you through the process of breaking down the portrait by sketching out the large shapes and forms, then building the image back up again with acrylic paint before adding your own personality to the mix! All abilities are welcome, but Lawrence recommends that you have your own painting materials to hand.
Hawaiian Hula with Tamsin
Monday 8th August at 9.30 am
Welcome to Hula! Learn basic techniques and footwork, and together with instructor Tamsin, you’ll interpret the song’s meaning through hand gestures, body movement and even your own voice! Hula is a low-impact activity with no age, gender or physical capacity restrictions. It helps you maintain joint mobility and flexibility and provides cardio ranging from gentle to athletic, depending on your personal abilities.
Smartphone pet photography with Jet
Tuesday 16th August at 10 am
Join photographer Jet as she shows you how to photograph your pets on your smartphones while using her sleepy (and slightly unpredictable) Labradoodles as ‘willing’ models. Jet will also show you how to edit your photos using Snapseed, a free editing app available for all types of phones. Jet’s mantra is ‘if you can’t edit it in a minute, then bin it’. In this session, she will show you how you can quickly and easily transform your photos with a few steps.
Author talks: Violets by Alex Hyde
Wednesday 24th August at 1 pm
Violets is a gripping historical fiction of two women named Violet grappling with motherhood and loss toward the end of the Second World War. In this book club-style session, author Alex Hyde will discuss her debut novel and its inspirations, including her research on gender and the military.
How to budget for the cost of living crisis
Thursday 25th August at 3 pm
Learn how to cope with rising prices and the cost of living crisis. Host, Nick Daws, will be sharing tips and information on both maximising income and minimising expenditure – advising on how to budget when money is tight. As a semi-retired freelance writer and editor with a particular interest in personal finance, Nick has been running Pounds and Sense since 2016 – a UK blog that discusses financial matters from an older person’s viewpoint.
How much does it cost to become a member of The Joy Club?
There’s plenty more to discover and enjoy at The Joy Club. If you’re not already a member you can sign up and enjoy one month of free Premium membership (normally £5 a month), which will give you unlimited access to all our sessions, our new uplifting articles every weekday and all the conversations happening in our forums. You won’t need to provide your card details and there’s no obligation to stay on after your trial.
About The Joy Club
The Joy Club is an online activity club and community that provides inspiration for a joyful retirement. Members can try something new at live online events every weekday, find inspiration with our uplifting articles and videos, and discover a community of like-minded people in our forums. So whether you’d like to try your hand at crafting, practice Tai Chi or join an expert talk – or perhaps you’d prefer to grab a cuppa and settle in to read our latest interview – there’s something to bring you joy at The Joy Club. Membership is open to anyone living in the UK who is retired or semi-retired.
Member testimonial
“I’ve been a member of The Joy club for 18 months and feel that it has enriched my life. There are so many different courses and sessions to choose from. You can literally have a tailor-made leisure life online.” (Joyce)
Why not give it a go? Join The Joy Club for free today