Terms and Conditions

Welcome to The Pottery Chew Valley!

These terms and conditions outline the rules and regulations for the use of The Pottery Chew Valley's Website, located at https://thepotterychewvalley.co.uk.

By accessing this website, we assume you accept these terms and conditions. Do not continue to use The Pottery Chew Valley if you do not agree to take all of the terms and conditions stated on this page.

Cookies:

The website uses cookies to help personalize your online experience. By accessing The Pottery Chew Valley, you agreed to use the required cookies.

A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

We may use cookies to collect, store, and track information for statistical or marketing purposes to operate our website. You have the ability to accept or decline optional Cookies. There are some required Cookies that are necessary for the operation of our website. These cookies do not require your consent as they always work. Please keep in mind that by accepting required Cookies, you also accept third-party Cookies, which might be used via third-party provided services if you use such services on our website, for example, a video display window provided by third parties and integrated into our website.

Terms & Conditions

Please ensure you have read, understood and accepted these Terms & Conditions before you book a class or workshop. Completion of enrolment, the purchase of a voucher, making a deposit or full payment constitutes your understanding and acceptance of our terms and conditions and thus forms your contract with The Pottery Chew Valley.

Payment

Payment of a class, service or gift card is made at the time of booking.

Workshops are paid for (5 weeks in advance of upcoming workshops).

The dates that workshops become available to book are listed below.

Current participants will have 1 week to place a booking before LIVE bookings become available on the website.

We encourage participants who wish to continue onto future workshops to book the week before bookings go live on the website as we cannot reserve places.

Workshop bookings for following terms will be LIVE and available on the website from

20th January 2025 for term commencing 24th Feb-7th April 2025 (7 week term) £245 pottery,£280 wheel

17th March 2025 for term commencing 21st April 2025 (6 week term) £210 pottery and 240 wheel

28th April 2025 for term commencing 26th May 2025 (8 week term) £280 pottery and £320 wheel

We accept payment by Cash, PayPal or bank transfer, please pay into business bank account:

Bank: Anna

Business bank account
Name: Michelle McTigue
Account: 84986489
Sort Code: 04-03-70
Reference: Please put your full name as reference

Cancellation

If the participant is unable to attend any class, workshop or course the full course fee is non-refundable.

Substitution

A substitute attendee may be named by the booking party at any time before the class, workshop or course at no additional cost.

Missing Classes

Sometimes serious unavoidable illnesses, accidents, funerals, emergencies, etc. are difficult to foresee and understandably require adjustment. We will help you make up the missed time under these circumstances. However, absence due to social events, holidays, appointments, child-related activities, lunches, isolating, etc. cannot be catered for.

Studio or Venue Closure/disruption.

If the studio is forced to close due to factors outside of our control such as severe weather conditions or an infectious disease such as Covid-19 we’re afraid we are not able to offer any refunds.

If there is an occasion where the pottery equipment requires attention and is out of action for some time we will do our best to work through the pottery made however there may on occasion be a delay in finished pieces of pottery being available for collection.

We endeavour to have all work ready for collection 2 weeks after the last pottery session of the term although pieces will often be available before the end of the term.

We cannot rush through pottery items meant as gifts but you are welcome to take your items to Bath Potters, Radstock where there is a kiln for public use that you can book.

Content

The Pottery Chew Valley reserves the right to change the content, timing, date, venue or teacher of any class, workshop or course in order to provide a high quality service or where it is deemed necessary. The Pottery Chew Valley reserves the right to cancel a class, workshop or course up to and including the date of the class, workshop or course if insufficient bookings have been received. We will strive to give as much notice of this as possible. Individuals booked onto a cancelled class, workshop or course will be given the option of a full refund or of rescheduling to a future class, workshop or course date. The Pottery Chew Valley will not be liable for any losses or expenses arising from amendments to the class, workshop or course or cancellations.

Health and Safety

Users of our studio do so at their own risk with awareness of the inherent hazards of a pottery studio environment. E.g. The presence of Oxides. The Pottery Chew Valley takes a serious approach towards health and safety for the sake of all staff and potters. Potters use the studio at their own risk, with awareness of the inherent hazards of a Studio environment, which include, but are not limited to, use of sharp tools and sharp edges, exposure to toxic materials, the dangers of using materials and equipment at high temperatures, and the risks associated with breathing dust. Most ceramic materials (clay and glazes) are made from finely ground minerals and if not handled correctly can pose a general respiratory risk. Hence, potters are asked to refrain from using spray for all application of slips, oxides and glazes. Clays other than those provided by The Pottery Chew Valley shall (stoneware clay) not be used in the studio nor rented venues to avoid contamination of surfaces and equipment.

Potters are required to keep all surfaces clean of clay and glaze and to clean all areas including the floor around their work area thoroughly before completing their class. This also minimises the risks to potters caused by breathing in clay and dusts. In the interests of safety and hygiene, no cooked food is permitted in the working areas. Smoking and vaping is not permitted in the building.

Glazes

At the Pottery Chew Valley we love glazes.

We also offer a range of brush on glazes for participants to try.

We also will be offering a range of 4 dipping glazes in 2025 for participants to use.

As a teaching facility while we endeavour to offer a range of glazes we cannot by any stretch accommodate for all colours and tastes.

Therefore if there is a specific look you are trying to achieve we recommend going to your local pottery supply store and purchase glazes there.

Please ensure that any glaze bought is a stoneware glaze and that it fires to cone 6.

Please bring any glazes you want to use in it’s original packaging and show to staff before placing on any pottery in the studio.

Technical Issues and Breakages

The Pottery Chew Valley will try to ensure that experienced and trained staff are the only people who will handle and fire your ceramic work. However, by the nature of ceramics, especially within a teaching workshop, there is always a risk of technical failure and breakages for which The Pottery Chew Valley or any member of staff or potters cannot be held responsible.

The making process and enthusiastic creatives

It is expected that a participant will make around 4/6 pieces of pottery over 1 term. The Pottery Chew Valley encourages quality over quantity.

We encourage enthusiastic creatives here at the Pottery Chew Valley especially when new to the potters wheel, when wasted clay can be high. We do not want to cap people’s creativity or potential to learn.

As a business however we do need to monitor what people are making to some degree and if a participant is continually making more than 6 pieces each term they will be required to pay an additional £5 for each additional piece made.

As a teaching facility participants especially wheel throwing participants are encouraged to choose their best works from the week to take forward into the following week and to reclaim their other work. We also try to ensure fairness while firing potter’s work.

Potters are requested not to bring creations made outside of our classes for completion and firing unless it has been agreed with Michelle.

Collection of Work

We endeavour to have all works ready for collection 1 week after a workshop has finished.

It will take 3 weeks however before a piece is ready to collect after a taster session.

If finished ceramic work is not collected within 6 weeks of the end of a class, workshop or course we will sadly have to dispose of it.

If you attend a class, workshop or course from further afield we can package and post to you for a basic postage and package cost, but we cannot accept any responsibility for damage during transit.

Arriving at The Pottery Chew Valley

We generally open the doors a few minutes before each class is due to start. Please do not turn up too early as you may have to wait while we finish cleaning or preparing the studio for your class to start. We may also be having a meeting between classes, so please do not enter if you arrive more than 10 minutes early.

Studio and Workspace

Each individual participant has a designated area to work in. Please be mindful when setting up your space that you leave enough room for others. The pottery is a shared space and each individual has been gifted a specific space to work in.

Please set up your space and move all trip hazards to the side of the room, please don’t leave bags on the floor.

Please hang up your coats, and wear an apron.

Please bring your own towel and teatowel for working on the wheel.

Please bring a plastic bag (thin) to cover your work

Please wear sturdy closed toe shoes.

Do not sand work in the studio, please go to the back of the workshop between the kiln room and wheel room to sand your work. Also make sure that you wet sand and wear a mask.

Wash hands free from clay in the back room.

Please do not dispose of clay down the sinks.

All working areas and tools must be cleaned after use. An alarm will now sound 20 minutes before the end of a session. The last 20 minutes of all classes is dedicated to gathering tools and cleaning work tables, tools, and other equipment for each individual potter’s work area. This is a communal studio and its cleanliness depends on everyone doing their part. When you are done, it should be cleaner than when you started.

Please don’t leave things you have used for staff to clean up after you.

Personal Pottery Tools

We invite all potters to own their own pottery tools. We suggest that potters should all have all tools been personalised, engraved or marked to be easily recognised by their owner.

We are unable to store such items though and participants are encouraged to buy their own tool box which they bring each week to class.

Please review the terms and conditions regularly. Your continued utilisation of our services following these modifications signifies your acceptance of the revised terms. Should you hold any reservations regarding our Terms & Conditions, we kindly invite you to refrain from joining our community of potters and members. Your comfort and alignment with our guidelines are of utmost importance to us.

Photos and Videos

At The Pottery Chew Valley we cherish your artistic contributions and value your privacy. We’d love to showcase both you and your creations on our social media, future printed materials and website and by accepting those Terms & Conditions, we will assume that it is OK to do so. This celebration of talent not only inspires others but also builds a strong creative community. Your images and videos will be carefully chosen and properly credited. Join us in this collaborative endeavour to honour creativity. If you prefer not to have your work or yourself photographed, please let us know via the contact section on the website. Your comfort and choices are important to us.

This document was created 28/10/2024.

Telephone: +44 (0) 7910 217284

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