Perhaps you know the quote from Bernard Leach, “The pot is the man: his virtues and his vices are shown therein – no disguise is possible”. He writes of how the maker is inherently in the pots they throw. When reflecting on the year past, the same is true. We’re a pottery that makes pots, but people are the energy within this. From the Capital Building project to the Production Studio, the Learning Programme to the exhibitions and potters on display, we look back at the year and the people who have shaped it.
Learning & Participation
Our Learning and Participation work has been one of the real joys of the year. We’ve brought potters together with groups to co-produce beautiful collections of pots for everyday use, seen over 2000 children make their very first pots and supported adult learners further their skills and understanding of clay. Time and again, we saw how powerful it can be to spend time making together. Thank you all who have joined us!
Volunteers
We spent the start of the year welcoming new volunteers, many of whom quickly became part of our regular team. Together with our long-standing volunteers, 30 people gave their time, energy and enthusiasm to contribute an incredible 1,374 volunteering hours in 2025. Over the year, volunteers recorded 42 people’s memories for our Leach Pottery Stories project, welcomed visitors across 170 museum desk shifts, carefully cleaned and packed around 150 museum displays in preparation for restoration, supported 95 workshops and courses across West Cornwall, and even found time to tend the site by planting our new dry stone wall and tackling more weeds than we could ever count. Their warmth, knowledge and generosity are felt every day at the pottery, and we are hugely thankful to everyone who has been part of our volunteer community this year.
Commercial
Potter’s Edition
We introduced Potter’s Edition: a new collection of work made by members of the Leach Pottery Production Team. With only limited pieces per design.
Featured Potters and Standard Ware Promotions
We continued with our popular regular promotions of individual makers’ work, and Standard Ware promotions, with a 10% discount on all work online and in the Shop. It is a great way to enjoy our Standard Ware and discover new favourites.
Seconds Sales
We held Seconds Sales during Easter, the August bank holiday and a bonus Christmas one in late November; all hugely popular and successful.
Online Exhibitions
We presented numerous Online Exhibitions as extensions of our Exhibitions programme.
TOAST & Leach Pottery – Beyond Tradition
We were very proud to work with TOAST on an exclusive, one-of-a-kind collaboration for London Craft Week in May. Lead Potter Roelof Uys gave a talk at TOAST, Notting Hill, where the collection was exclusively available.
Studio
The Studio has had a busy and rewarding year, producing pottery for the shop, wholesale partners and special projects. Limited editions and Studio Editions were a particular highlight, selling out quickly and giving the team space to explore new ideas alongside our much-loved standard ware. It has also been great to see our apprentices grow in confidence and skill, and to celebrate the completion of new kilns that will support making here for years to come.
Curatorial and Museum
This year’s exhibitions brought together historic and contemporary work in ways that really resonated with visitors. Shows were well attended, guided tours returned, and it was lovely to welcome so many people into the museum over the year. Alongside this, the curatorial team has been carefully recording stories, caring for the collection and shaping the interpretation that will form part of the next chapter of the Leach Pottery.
Capital Project
It has been exciting to see the new Learning and Production Centre really take shape this year. With major milestones reached and plans developing for the future museum, the scale of what is coming is becoming clearer every day. This work will allow us to welcome more people, offer more learning opportunities and support the next generation of potters.
Photography Opens
We also hosted our first Photography Open event during the September Festival. We welcomed photographers of all disciplines and levels to photograph our historical spaces before restoration began. We thank everyone who took part, and we look forward to welcoming you back once the restoration is complete. Take a look at some of the outcomes below.
The latest news from Leach Pottery 
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