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Help the Foxlowe Clay Collective raise the remaining funds to buy a new kiln!
We’re on our way to raising sufficient funds to buy a new kiln, but can’t get there without your help:
We're a new volunteer-run community pottery studio at the Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek, providing subscription-based memberships, workshops, guided learning sessions and collaborative community projects for Leek and the Staffordshire Moorlands wider area on a not-for-profit basis.
We have rallied around and with a lot of help and hard work from community and friends have made a terrific start to establishing an accessible, well-equipped ceramics facility as part of continuing the rich heritage of Staffordshire ceramics. This is especially important in rural areas such as Leek, where cultural investment and funding for the arts have previously been limited.
Maintaining a functioning kiln is essential to achieving our objectives.
When we first opened to members in 2025 to trial the studio and work out how we wanted to run the Clay Collective, we borrowed £400 to buy a very well used Pottery Craft P5976 kiln. She’s been a workhorse all her life but now she does not always reach temperature; some days we spend more time trying to troubleshoot and fix rather than making and planning.
With the help of friends and friendly expertise (sometimes with years of industry experience!) we have patched our P5976 where we could, exchanged thermocouple and elements, kiln bricks and insulation, controller and wiring, but we have come to terms with the fact that it’s time for a new kiln.
Why we need a new kiln:
- Our kiln struggles to consistently reach even Earthenware firing temperatures
- Hence, glazes don’t fire correctly and colours can be muted
- Changes in temperature can cause cracks, crazing and warping
- We need a consistent standard of firing to achieve a high-quality output
What we have achieved so far:
- We have been volunteering time and materials to making items to sell in the Foxlowe Arts Centre’s Drawing Room Café. Making and selling these items (mostly priced between £4 and £15) via an honesty box has been tremendous work, but it has given us the humble beginnings of our kiln fund
- Our potters have been running pottery workshops with spaces bookable at £35 per person, taking no fees and instead adding all proceeds to our kiln fund
- Raising awareness in the Leek community, we have taken over the Outside Arts stall at Leek’s Buttermarket, run clay sessions and a tombola asking for donations, with all takings going into our kiln fund
- A donations box at our official launch event in January has raised over £120 and with a couple of members’ own donations, we have
Raised an amazing £1,700 so far
But we have come to the end of what we can do in person - and are hoping that this fundraiser will reach further and help us raise the remaining £3,700 to be able to buy our new kiln.
A new kiln will allow us to:
- Increase our plans to make clay accessible to our community - for example, we would love to host family clay days, but our current kiln would not be able to withstand increased firings
- Hold mug making workshops with greater certainty that they won’t leak!
- Expand the range of materials we can fire (we’re all beyond excited about stoneware…)
- Develop more advanced techniques and processes
How funds will be used:
- All contributions will go directly towards purchasing and installing a new kiln with a greater capacity, capable of regular firings up to stoneware temperatures
- Any additional raised funds will go towards buying our first full sized pottery wheel, as well as towards ongoing maintenance and improvements to ensure the long-term growth of the Foxlowe Clay Collective as a membership and community pottery facility.
Where we’re going, 2026 and beyond:
The overwhelming response by the public and industry professionals alike in support of our community pottery tells us we’re doing the right thing.
We have had former technical directors of big Stoke potteries and professionals contact us to see how they can help. We are planning to facilitate public access to the expertise that the Foxlowe Clay Collective has attracted, in the shape of talks, lectures, workshops, technical sessions and making events.
Being based at the Foxlowe Arts Centre, a community owned hub of creativity right in the centre of Leek, we are in the best possible place to reach out and bring clay to the people.
We are in full planning mode to host community pottery events, and are applying for grants to be able to run these, but we need a new kiln to successfully complete projects. We want people from all walks of life in our area and beyond to be able to have access to clay and the wonderful process of making ceramics.
Any and all contributions are very gratefully received!!
Thank you so much for your support.
The Foxlowe Clay Collective.