Ex-Denby workers say new studio is 'bittersweet'

Three former Denby potters have described the moment they opened their own studio as "brilliant but bittersweet".

Fran Cutmore, Daizy Stevens and Kate Lowe were all made redundant from Denby Pottery - but say they have seen huge popularity in pottery courses despite the firm's demise.

The world-renowned ceramics business entered administration in March and ceased production after 217 years earlier this month.

“We’re trying to keep the momentum of what we had going and our love of teaching and hopefully it's going to be a great success,” said Lowe on the opening day of The Potter’s Nook in Ripley.

"There's a huge demand for it," Lowe added. "It's a really good thing to do in a world where we're bombarded with screens all the time.

"Just getting back to working with your hands, which is what Daizy, Fran and I love."

The three potters taught classes in the craft studio at Denby Pottery Village, until the first round of about 80 redundancies.

"It was literally heartbreaking," said 23-year-old Stevens, who came through the Denby apprenticeship scheme.

The trio found the decision frustrating, given that a new ceramics course designed by Lowe had sold out, generating tens of thousands of pounds of revenue.

Since the decision, the ex-workers have searched for a venue to launch their own pottery studio.

Opening the unit inside Unicorn House, Stevens said it was “brilliant but bittersweet".

“It‘s scary, but I have faith that all the work we've put in to learn our skill and trade will pay off and people will trust us outside of the Denby name,” she said.

Cutmore was also confident that they can run a sustainable business because of the rising popularity of the hobby, boosted by the Channel 4 series The Great Pottery Throw Down.

She said she was proud to be launching the project with former Denby potters and extending the legacy of the firm.

“I'm really glad I've got Daizy and Kate with me. It just feels so much better having a family around me,” she said.

She thanked other former colleagues who had shown support for their new venture, including ceramic designer Richard Eaton.

"They're carrying on the ceramic tradition and that's something that I feel quite passionate about," he said.

Eaton signed the final bowl fired in the Denby kilns from a range he had designed 35 years ago.

"It was very emotional. It even upsets me now, thinking about it," he said.

Eaton advised the trio to maintain their passion for ceramics, use social media effectively to engage new customers and to be aware of their energy expenses, which can be significant even for studio potters.

He also explained that he was working together with an anonymous investor to gather ceramic items, machinery and artefacts from the Denby factory to create a museum, which he hoped would open on the original site or elsewhere in Amber Valley.

"Denby Pottery's been so important to this area and also to the British ceramics industry, so keeping that all together, I think is really important," he said.

"If that's the last thing I can do to help the Denby legacy, then I'm all for it."

The Denby administrators have been asked for comment.

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