It’s the Great Pottery Lockdown Challenge!

MOULDING clay can help your mental health.

That’s according to Adrian Wistreich, who after 20 years in the publishing world in London, moved to West Cork to set up the Kinsale Pottery and Art School in 2019.

Adrian believes the classes he’s providing, in a socially distanced way, offers an outlet for those who are finding ‘the release from lockdown into an uncertain world a huge challenge.’

‘There is more to the craft of making pottery, jewellery, or stained glass, than learning a new skill, or having an afternoon’s entertainment. It allows people to connect with their inner world, their emotional intelligence, and creative selves.’

He suggests that Covid-19 has forced us all to look at what we’re doing and how we can change our lives.

‘If we give our creative selves space to grow it can be a hugely powerful driving force in our lives. It can help to unlock and dissipate deep-seated stress and the sense of loss we are all feeling right now.’

Adrian proved his point by using the lockdown to launch the ‘Great Kinsale Pottery Lockdown Challenge’ that encouraged students around the country to make their own ceramic pieces at home.

Since it opened, Kinsale Pottery has hosted over 1,200 students, the majority of which were overseas tourists, but it’s very popular with staycationers too.