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Eight virtual activities to get you through until summer.
From gym classes to catch ups with mates, our social lives remain well and truly digital as the UK continues to endure lockdown and social distancing restrictions. But with the one-year lockdown anniversary having been and gone, you may be looking to for a new hobby to see your through until summer. To help, I’ve found eight online hobby groups to join right now.
The last year has been an adjustment to say the least, and many of us have tried a number of different virtual activities to help stay active, entertained, and, most importantly, connected. Across the country, a vast number of groups and clubs have adapted their workshops and classes to be held via the internet. What once seemed unthinkable (dancing around your living room in front of a laptop, for example, or doing a life drawing class from the comfort of your own home) is now totally normal. Unsurprisingly, Ofcom reported that the proportion of people logging into video calls doubled during lockdown, with the virtual meeting app Zoom seeing a 2,000% rise in new accounts.
While most are hungry for IRL events to return, online hobbies are the next best thing, and below are eight options to get your started.
The Curve Catwalk
The UK’s first plus-sized dance class has gone digital. Founded by dancer Trina Nicole, The Curve Catwalk is an empowering and uplifting dance space for women. As IRL classes remain closed for the foreseeable, the fabulous Curve Catwalk teachers host classes every Tuesday at 6.30 p.m. Their tagline is “we don’t twerk, we jiggle” and, quite frankly, it looks like a hell of a great time. Beginners are welcome.
£7 per class, or £19.99 monthly membership — see here.
M.Y.O
When was the last time you made something? And I’m not talking about your bed. 2021 feels like the perfect time to experiment with arts and crafts and stretch your creative muscle. London-based creative studio M.Y.O (Make Your Own) is hailed as the “creative space for adults,” Set up by Diana and Sam in October 2017, they aim to help adults explore their creative side. “Everyone is creative, they just need an outlet,” they say. M.Y.O has also gone digital and host a number of creative workshops with their growing online community, from still life drawing to lino painting.
Together Apart We Run
Running became very popular during lockdown, but it can sometimes feel like a disappointingly solo activity. Together Apart We Run is a virtual coaching plan launched by Rozanna and Rachel Purcell and Irish ultra runner and coach John Oregan. Depending on your goals, you can choose from 5K, 10k, half marathon, and marathon plans and commit to race days throughout the month.
The plans are completely free and available via Instagram.
BlokTV
Yoga and meditation can wonderful for your mental health at the best at times but especially now. Award-winning studio Blok London boasts a number of celebrated yogis who currently host live classes via their platform, BlokTV. It may be time you finally master your poses...
Platewell
With restaurants closed, many people have become dab hands in the kitchen (or so it seems on Instagram). Founded by a group of London-based cooks, Platewell is a vegan cookery school with a number of healthy and creative meals. Every week, Platewell live stream four new cooking classes, available to both guests and members.
£10 per class, or £15 per month — see here.
Amber Hards Knitting Workshops
Bristol-based knitwear label owner Amber Hards decided to take her knitting workshops online during the pandemic. The machine knitting classes take place over Zoom, with digital downloadable videos available to keep after, or you can just purchase the digital downloads.
Prices are around £50, see the available workshops here.
Ladies Lit Squad
Break out of the habit of buying books and not committing to reading them (or is that just me?) and join an online book club. There are plenty of virtual book clubs and podcasts to support online, but the Ladies Lit Squad has a really cool community that shares books by women and authors of colour. For 2021, they are inviting book lovers to join their reading challenge #LLS21Booksin21 – 21 books in a year. Each month they share reading prompts and suggestions to help you broaden your literary repertoire.
The Sofa Singers
Every Tuesday evening, The Sofa Singers bring together hundreds of people in real-time for 45 minutes of simultaneous singing. The popular group is founded by James Sills, a musician, vocal leader, author and speaker who has been encouraging people to “ to sing as if no-one is listening” during lockdown.
