Marsh Farm Community Pottery

Hello! I'm Rachelle, I am a ceramicist and pottery teacher based in Bradford-on Avon in Wiltshire....

I am fundraising for the purchase of 6x pottery wheels to go in a new community pottery co-working studio which I am setting up at Marsh Farm in Hilperton, Wiltshire. 

When we open in November 2023, our studio will be offering...

- Taster sessions, courses and workshops in ceramics to the local towns and villages

- Affordable communal co-working studio space for aspiring artists and makers

- Paid teaching opportunities for ceramic local artists and makers to earn an income from their craft

- Technician exchange programmes for aspiring potters to learn how to run a busy community teaching studio

Why am I setting up this studio?

I have been teaching in Bradford on Avon since 2019, running classes with students at St Laurence School and then starting adult classes in 2021.

I've seen with my own eyes - magic happens when people are given clay and allowed to experiment and try. Humans are born makers and it's a healing process using our hands, switching off our brains and slowing down, focussing on creativity. People open-up when they are making - they talk, friendships are made, and community builds.

Since Covid and the subsequent lockdowns, it's shown us that there is a real need in the community for arts spaces where we can be in the company of others, and have time and space to explore our own creativity.

My story

My own pottery journey started in 2005 after a break-up and I took up pottery classes to take my mind off it...I've been hooked ever since and I decided to take the plunge of joining a co-working studio in Bristol in 2016. The benefits of being in a shared studio were amazing - I learned so much from my peers, met lots of amazing people and made solid friendships. But I also got the chance to experiment, grow in confidence and create a body of work which led to exhibitions and allowed me to start teaching and earning some money from my passion. 

I've realised, along the way, that clay was also helping me to heal and come back to myself. Clay is a magical material that allows us to try things, make mistakes and easily smooth them out and start again. It teaches us to try, fail, and start over again, and shows us that our failures are opportunities for learning and growth.

It's been a dream of mine for a very long time to enables others to do the same...so here comes Marsh Farm Community Pottery!

I've found the perfect home for this to happen...

I've just taken on a unit at Marsh Farm in Hilperton which is a fab location for serving the local communities of Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge, Warminster, Frome, Devizes, Chippenham and surrounding towns and villages. It has oodles of free parking and is in a beautiful location backing onto the Kennet & Avon Canal.

It also has a thriving arts community with metal working, jewellery, glass blowing, wood working and a host of yummy food-related businesses, with Dusty Ape coffee just next door for a quick power-up. 

Here's the unit where Marsh Farm Pottery will be...

I've just taken over the lease and I am investing everything I have make this happen. 

I was lucky enough to be left some money by my Great Aunt (who was also married to a Potter) and I have decided to use it to start up this venture. I have enough to fund the kit out the studio with a new kiln; new slab roller; wall-mounted extruder; and new tables, workbenches and storage. 

We've already had plenty of interest in studio memberships and classes, and I feel confident this will be a success and will be a real asset to the local community once established. 

BUT our studio needs some final bits of equipment so we can offer studio space to traditional potters and teach those who want to learn to throw on the wheel.

We are fundraising for the last essential bits of kit....

- 6x Shimpo RK55 pottery wheels + electrician's fee = £7k

I'm asking the community to come together to support our new studio by donating so we can purchase these wheels and stools. 

NB: Anything over our target will go towards funding a pug mill for clay recycling, as well as creating a funding pot for subsidised and free places for those on low incomes and under-represented communities who struggle to access classes and studio space.