LYN and Gerry Grant will "slow down a bit now and see what the future holds" after completing a year of celebrations for Fangfoss Pottery's 40th anniversary at The Old School, Fangfoss, near York.

"What a year it was," says Lyn. "We had wanted to commemorate our 40 years of potting by doing something unique. We had several aims we wanted to fulfil: to raise the profile of ceramics; encourage everyone to be creative with clay; involve the local community and have fun! We seem to have achieved all this and more.

"We kick-started the year by hanging up 40 leaves around East Yorkshire for people to find and claim a prize – there are still a few to be found. I've kept scrapbooks about the pottery for the 40 years and we put an archive 'post of the day' on social media, running a competition every month. This proved very popular. Prizes were some special red mugs which we had made with other bits and pieces inside them, and we soon had a lot of followers."

York Press:

Fangfoss Pottery's 40th anniversary mugs

Ceramics as an art form has drawn publicity aplenty lately, not least with television programmes being devoted to it. "To encourage local people to be creative with clay, a number of workshops were run in Pocklington or in the pottery," says Lyn. "Some were for adults and others for children, and we ended up putting more on than we had planned as they were over-subscribed.

"Everyone enjoyed them and it's something we'll continue this year. We held barbecues and raku firings for the Northern Potters Association and York Art Workers' Association and they were very sociable evenings, with us meeting a lot of new artists."

To promote community involvement, Lyn and Gerry put on free events, illustrated talks and activities, such as workshops for the Fangfoss school and church, treasure hunts at Jubilee Park and in shop windows in Pocklington and a Day of Clay in Pocklington market place on Yorkshire Day.

York Press:

One of the workshops held during Fangfoss Pottery's 40th anniversary year

"The most popular treasure hunt was the snowflakes and stars one we held at Jubilee Park last month," says Lyn. "Every day throughout December, while we were walking our dog, we hung up eight stars for people to find and take home. They were even stopping us and asking us for clues.

"And now it's over. It's been a fantastic year and we've enjoyed everything we've done, meeting lots of new faces on the way. It's time for us to slow down a bit now and see what the future holds. Will we still be potting in another ten years to have a 'golden' celebration? Who knows?"

Fangfoss Pottery, Fangfoss, ten miles east of York, is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. "We're also open most weekends, but to avoid disappointment it's advisable to telephone first," advises Lyn, who can be contacted on 01759 368384.