Who we are

West House Pottery is a not-for-profit social enterprise and a part of West House.

For over 30 years, West House has been Cumbria’s leading care and support provider for children, young people and adults with learning difficulties. We provide individual, genuine and caring support, enabling all those in our care to lead a rewarding, happy life in a homely environment. Our care includes a range of support options at every stage of life, from 24/7 residential care to occasional support, education to work-ready programmes, activity centres to our three enterprises – Grow West, Cafe West and The Pottery.

Our vision is to provide a nurturing, supportive and creative environment where everybody is welcomed and encouraged to build their creative skills and knowledge, grow in confidence and lead an independent, fulfilling life.

Learn more about West House

Our Ceramics

Every single one of our pieces is made entirely by hand by the people we support - from start to finish.

Using the finest stoneware, we use a combination of hand-building and press moulding techniques to create our range of practical yet stylish homeware. Each potter is given their own stamp complete with their initials to mark the bottom of the items they make, adding an extra special touch to each piece. They are then dip glazed by hand and fired in our kiln to make sure they are both dishwasher and microwave safe and are suitable for use around the home, or in a commercial kitchen.

Each piece is available in our signature oatmeal glaze range or our exclusive painted range. Each one is unique, designed and painted by our potters.

Meet the Makers

purchase with purpose

Our range includes plates, bowls, mugs, beakers, vases, plant pots and egg cups to name a few. We are constantly evolving, fine-tuning and developing what we make. You can pick just one or collect the whole set!

By choosing to support West House Pottery, you are helping us to achieve our vision which is to encourage people with learning disabilities to have high aspirations, develop individual creative vocational skills and strive towards a more independent lifestyle. Each sale enables us to grow and expand our offering and purchase all the tools we need.

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Get Involved

Group Sessions

We now offer guided group sessions in our studio for up to eight people.

No experience of clay is required as our team of experienced potters will guide you through how to prepare the clay and then use a range of hand building techniques to make the products within our current range. Four weeks later, you’ll be able to pick up your creations to use at home!

Each session is three hours and costs £120. All materials are provided. Contact us for more details.

Become a Potter

Would you or someone you know like to join our team of potters?

Call our Operations Manager, Lesley Reid at our Head Office on 0190067777 to discuss the various opportunities and contract details.

Every potter that joins will be provided with an opportunity to visit the pottery for a taster day, meet our other potters and staff and make sure that they will be happy in our studio and its environment before they join us on a regular basis.

Volunteer

Alongside our experienced staff, we work with a number of volunteers across our organisation that provide invaluable support.

If you have available time, would like to support West House and become a volunteer, then please contact our lovely team.

Please note that you will be asked to complete an enhanced DBS check along with our induction training before you are able to volunteer.