Community pottery club in south Warwickshire refuses to let ram raid derail Christmas fundraiser

Dassett Pottery Clay Club in Fenny Compton has been forced to temporarily close following the incident.

During the early hours of Wednesday (November 4), thieves used a telehandler to rip a cash machine from the village’s Co-op store.

Although the pottery club was not directly targeted, the ram raid left several floorboards in its studio damaged and unsafe to walk on.

Catherine Wahlberg, who founded the club in 2019, said: “It looks like we have been really lucky. We are having a full inspection this afternoon (Thursday, November 5), but it looks like it is just cosmetic damage at the moment.

“We have been unable to open today, but we hope to be back up and running on Sunday, perhaps at an alternative premises.”

Despite the disruption, Catherine and the rest of the club are determined to continue with their annual Christmas fundraiser.

Each year, the club chooses a charity or organisation to raise money for, with Banbury’s Breadline Project selected this time.

Over several days, the club holds open events where people can glaze clay bowls, with proceeds going to charity.

The club will also hold a special Christmas event on December 12, when the glazed bowls will be sold in return for donations to the Breadline Project.

Catherine said: “So far we have made around 50 bowls for people to come in and glaze. We are hoping to raise around £1,000 for the charity.”

Catherine set up the club to support wellbeing in her community after discovering the therapeutic benefits of working with clay.

“Our focus has always been on wellbeing in the community. I’ve benefited so much from working with clay and I just wanted to share that with people.”

The club has now grown to offer 14 pottery wheels and a separate hand-building facility. It holds classes several times a week, attracting up to 18 people during some of its busier sessions.

For more information about the club or its fundraiser, visit: https://www.facebook.com/FennyComptonClayClub

Meanwhile, Heart of England Co-op has paid tribute to the staff for their “incredible resilience” after the ram raid.

“We are deeply saddened by the incident at our Fenny Compton Co-op store,” they said.

“Our thoughts are very much with our store manager Debbie Pugh and the team, who have shown incredible resilience during an extremely distressing experience. We want to thank them for their courage and send them our full support during this difficult time.

"We also extend our thoughts and sympathies to our neighbours and everyone in the local community affected by this incident.

"The store will remain temporarily closed while essential repairs are carried out.

"We look forward to welcoming everyone back as soon as we can. Thank you to the community for your understanding and support.”