How to Basically was set up to empower and teach people to do things for themselves. We want to grow confidence and independence in our pupils.
We teach a range of courses from how to use a power drill and why its so useful; how to fix a dripping top & other basic plumbing skills; basic DIY and decorating; how to maintain and fix basic problems with home appliances; car maintenance and repair; gardening, textiles and much more.
Learning these simple, practical, transformational skills not only helps people live more cost efficiently and sustainably, but it's also incredibly mentally rewarding.
In the summer of 2022 Justin Kelly decided to create a space to teach current and future generations simple, basic life skills which are mentally rewarding, better for the environment and save you money.
Justin has developed his own self-taught skills over the years doing property maintenance and working for a mechanic's garage.
"When trying DIY I kept having to return to the hardware shop to ask more questions and exchange things I'd bought that weren't right for the job. I kept thinking how useful it would be if there was a place you could go where they run you through the basics; somewhere with all the kit where you could practice how to do things, making mistakes in a safe space and not in your own home!".
In 2022 he took the plunge and left his job as a solicitor in the independent film industry to realise this idea.
We are committed to helping people learn simple skills in order to make substantial, tangible lifestyle changes. Our courses are hands-on and practical with knowledgeable, patient and friendly teachers to make sure you get the best out of your session. Making mistakes is all part of our learning process so you can feel confident when you leave to tackle your jobs at home having learnt from your mistakes with us.
Our courses make learning new simple skills accessible and engaging for anyone.
We are incredibly proud of the community we are building at How to Basically. We work with a number of local schools helping them with their enrichment programmes. We also work with local schools for children with special educational needs and with the local council in this capacity.
We have been to some of the local Repair Cafés in our area and provided free courses to children on free school meals at a local school. We believe passionately in knowledge sharing and building a community from a wide range of places and look forward to building on this in the months and years to come.
At the heart of everything we teach is helping people to move towards a more sustainable way of living. By instilling an attitude of "repair don't replace" and arming people with the skills to do this, we hope to reduce the amount of items thrown into landfill.
Our workshop has been built using reclaimed and sustainable materials wherever possible and our children's and pallet workshops are taught using pallets foraged locally.
For more information or to get involved with "How To Basically" contact Justin on +44 (0)7957 420195 or jk@howtobasically.co.uk.
