Funding support needed to help new Northumberland pottery studio get up and running
and live on Freeview channel 276
Ravn Clay, the brainchild of Keith Webster, is starting up in the timber loft of the old Ford Forge building next to the Heatherslaw Light Railway.
However, with costs rising due to the need for new electrics and plumbing, he is seeking funding support to turn his dreams into reality.
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Hide Ad“Initially the one big bit of kit we need is a kiln, and so far we've raised just over £2,000 towards this, so we are comfortably over half way there,” Keith explains.
“But the Kickstarter is an All-or-Nothing Campaign, so if we don't reach the target of £3,650 by Thursday, August 6, we'll receive nothing - despite the amazing support there is out there.
“And if by some happy chance we exceed the total, there's plenty of other kit that will be needed for classes - including multiple pottery wheels.”
The workshop is the realisation of a long held ambition to not only practice pottery, but also offer classes and workshops for people interested in learning a new skill.
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Hide AdCurrently the pottery is run out of his home in Berwick but limited space has become a problem.
“I have to use a friend's kiln at the moment," he explained, "so the chance to produce work and develop as a potter is slowed down considerably by the drive to Alnwick and back.”
Keith’s pottery journey started many years ago, when he worked as an archaeologist in London but it was only in the last 12 months that he finally attended the Edinburgh Ceramics Workshop to better understand how pottery is made.
“When I moved to Northumberland I decided I was going to take evening classes because I'd always wanted to try my hand at pottery, but finding a venue proved very difficult,” he said,
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Hide Ad"I am not yet experienced or practiced enough to offer classes, but Ravn Clay is about eventually making these opportunities available to people who, because they don't live near a major town or city, are denied the chance to play with clay.”
To see how you can support the project, visit www.ravnclay.co.uk