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Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
Christmas Trees 2024
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Christmas Trees 2024

By Ravn Clay

5.0(39)

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Price:

£5

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Highlights

  • Delivered In-Person

  • 1 hour 30 minutes

Description

Ravn Clay's popular festive pottery workshop returns for its fifth festive year. We can't guarantee snow, but we can guarantee fun!

This ninety-minute pottery session, designed for the young and young at heart, will see you create individual or stacking trees using slabs of stoneware clay. Although simple in principle, it will involve some skill and imagination in joining and decorating your finished piece! We will work together to make the trees, and once finished, they will stay at the studio to be fired, glazed (in a single colour of one of the dipping glazes we have available) and then re-fired. All in time to be collected (or posted out) for Christmas!

I remember all the decorations coming out for Christmas - the sentimental, the expensive and the home made. It was an odd mix but fitting one - of baubles, Angels, tinsel, and Santa Claus figures made out of cardboard tubes, red crepe paper and cotton wool, lovingly glued together at nursery by us kids and resurrected each Christmas despite the wear and tear of their yearly outings. 

This workshop, to build and decorate Christmas trees, is in this tradition. Several trees can be built and decorated seperately, then stacked together - perhaps symbolising the coming together of family and friends which is perhaps one of the best parts of the season. Unlike the cotton wool Santa of old, these stoneware trees should stand the test of time and be a lasting memento of your time together in the pottery, and part of your Christmas Tradition for years to come.

The booking fee only secures you a seat at the table - you will need to pay on the day for what you make. Some people may just want to create one tree, while others (or families) may opt for a small copse that can be stacked or grouped together. It really is up to you. The tree form is a hollow triangular based pyramid with sizes going from approx 6cm to 16cm tall.

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The booking structure is designed to allow people to make as many (or as few) of the trees as they want to. There is no minimum size or number - and you are only limited by the time you have available. 

On the day, participants will need to pay the following for each tree completed;

  • Tiny Tree - £8.00

  • Small Tree - £9.50

  • Medium Tree - £11.00

  • Large Tree - £12.50

  • Extra-Large Tree - £14.00

  • HUGE Tree - £15.50

Please note - only the Extra-large and Huge Tree are suitable for BATTERY POWERED TEA LIGHTS - we do not recommend naked flames going into any of these small pottery trees.

For example - Jo Bloggs may come to a workshop and make just one HUGE tree. He will pay the £5.00 booking fee in advance, and need to pay £15.50 on the day (total £20.50). 

or...

The Bloggs family of 4 might make the 4 tiny trees to stack. This would be a booking fee of £20.00 and £32.00 to pay on the day - a total of £52.00 for the group, or the equivalent of £13.00 per participant. The minimum payable per participant is £13 (£5.00 deposit and £8.00 tree). 

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A stacked tree of tiny, small and medium on the left; and large, extra large and huge on the right.

There are only eight places per session - that allows enough access to support for everyone to be successful! Also, as this is a creative class designed to be accessible for younger potters, a parent or guardian must stay with any participant aged 16 or under. Each ticket will enable one participant to build their Christmas Trees. If you are accompanying a younger potter, and want to join in, please book an additional space; if you will only attend to help them, no extra ticket is needed.

A word of warning - the kiln Gods can be fickle, and despite doing everything possible, some pieces will fail, crack or blow up (!) in the kiln. There are no guarantees in pottery, not even for seasoned potters. 

A second word of warning - working with pottery can be hugely addictive. You have been warned!

The New Ford Studio is housed on the ground floor of the old Reading Rooms - you will find it just up the road from Lady Waterford Hall. Nearby are many attractions and places to walk, shop and eat; how about a near by Narrow-guage Railway (that runs to Etal Castle and back), a working flour mill, a Village Shop & Tearoom, a heavy horse centre, a micro-brewery, or a Riverside cafe? 

https://w3w.co/lobster.rapid.clinking

TD15 2QG

Access to the studio is only via a set of external stone steps, and there is a single toilet available on site. The booking cost (£5.00) secures a spot at the maker's table; if you need to stay to support a younger participant, please make sure you have noted this when you book your ticket!

Please note - the cost includes all materials, tuition, glaze and firings. If you need your work posting out to you or someone else, please ensure you book an additional postage and packing ticket!

Remember, under 16s need a parent or guardian in attendance. You can assist and support your young person, but if you want to build your own tree(s), you'll need to book and pay for an additional space.

We look forward to seeing you soon. And festive whatnots to you all!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How kid-friendly are your pottery workshops?

    Having a background as a primary school teacher means I am very comfortable teaching young people the basics of pottery. Although we do use some pottery tools which can be sharp, each session begins with a Health and Safety briefing about using equipment in the correct way. Similarly, young people need to understand that some materials used in pottery can cause harm, but access to any such materials (specifically glazes etc) is restricted. 

    Some of the workshops we deliver are specifically tailored to younger potters or families, but you know your child best and I'm reluctant to give strict guidance about what age groups can do what activities. If they are able to follow simple instructions, have reasonable motor skills, and some patience, they should be fine. 

  • Is the pottery a dafe environment?

    A pottery studio can be an inspiring but potentially dangerous workspace. Tools and materials need to be used with care and an awareness of the people around you. All instructions and guidance must be followed, and everyone has the right to be treated with courtesy, respect and patience during their time at the Studio. If you are bringing little ones with you, please make sure they understand the dangers and their responsibilities. Food and drink (beyond your own bottle of water) cannot be consumed in the studio at any time. 

    Anyone found to be repeatedly behaving in a way that impairs the enjoyment of any other participant, or acts in a manner that puts anyone at risk, will be asked to leave. [If in the unfortunate event that such conduct means that a workshop cannot proceed, all other participants will be offered a chance to re-book or given a full refund.]

    Covid-19 - we will operate in a manner that follows current guidance on social distancing etc.

    Ravn Clay has £5,000,000 Public and Products Liability Insurance. Keith Webster of Ravn Clay also holds a current Basic DBS Check for England & Wales.

  • What does a typical workshop look and feel like?

    Workshops will begin promptly at the advertised times. You can arrive a little early to sort yourself out.

    Workshops offer you a chance to make whatever you like (unless you have booked for a specific making session like Monsters, Trees, Pumpkins or Sheep). This is a hand-building session, so we can look at thumb pots, coiling and slab building. 

    It would be helpful if you can have an idea of the sorts of things you might want to try before you arrive; look on-line for inspiration, bring some print-outs, or make sketches or notes of ideas. Being presented with a lump of clay can often be like being given a blank sheet of paper - so it's good to have an idea of what sort of things you might like to try. Realistically you should be able to make between one and three objects in the time we have - bearing in mind that one item of grace and finesse might be more satisfying than three rushed objects. If you struggle to come up with inspiration, don’t despair - the clay will lead the way. 

    After the workshop you will then leave your creations at the studio where they will be slowly dried, before being biscuit- and then glaze-fired. As such, you’ll need to make sure I know how you’d like the piece finishing. And of course, there are many stages in the process from mud to mug, and things can and will go wrong. I will do my best during your time in the studio and afterwards to make sure your creation(s) survive the 1223 degree centigrade heat - but even I have things that don’t make it out in one piece!

    You will be contacted when your work is ready to collect. If you need the work posting out to you, I will need to charge an additional £6 to cover packaging and second-class postage, so please make sure I have full postal details. 

  • Is there a toilet on site?

    There is a single toilet on site accessible via the back stairs or kiln room. 

  • Is it true you have a pottery dog?

    I do have a dog that is with me at the pottery pretty much full time. She is a young patterdale terrier, and as she is still a puppy, she can be a little over-enthusiastic and friendly. If you have an aversion to dog, or any issue regarding this, please contact me at keef@ravnclay.co.uk before attending the workshop. 

  • Can we drink and eat at the studio?

    Eating and drinking in a working pottery is not recommended, but water bottles are usually fine. You are welcome to bring along picnics, brunches, flasks etc. and picnic in the grounds of the pottery. Ford does have a rather sweet Tea Room called at the Post Office that offers you a chance to stretch your legs, powder one’s nose and sample some delicious coffee and cake.

Dates

  • to
    Delivered In-Person in Berwick-upon-Tweed

    £5

  • to
    Delivered In-Person in Berwick-upon-Tweed

    £5

  • to
    Delivered In-Person in Berwick-upon-Tweed

    £5

  • to
    Delivered In-Person in Berwick-upon-Tweed

    £5

  • to
    Delivered In-Person in Berwick-upon-Tweed

    £5

Location

13a Ford Village Ford Village, TD15 2QG, United Kingdom, Berwick-upon-Tweed

About The Provider

Ravn Clay
Ravn Clay
Berwick-upon-tweed
5.0(39)

Ravn Clay is a small studio pottery in north Northumberland. Opened in August 2021, it offers short, half and day courses in hand-building pottery, with an emphasis on wellbeing, enjoyment and creativity. The range of courses on offer is always evolving, with a growing communi...

Read more about Ravn Clay

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