DESPITE the pandemic forcing many annual events to postpone until next year, the open-air celebration of everything ceramic delayed their festival and this weekend is throwing Potfest in the Park 2020 at Hutton-in-the-Forest – celebrating their 20th festival.
The event is usually held the last weekend of July. However, the organisers were able to reschedule Potfest to provide the first event of its kind since the COVID lockdown.
With the stunning backdrop of Hutton-in-the-Forest, this year’s festival is a much-welcomed event for visitors and exhibitors.
Chatting to one stallholder, he said it was the only event he is attending this year, and on the first day, it was proving to be a great success. More people were visiting, and also wanting to buy.
He added it was great to be back with fellow potters as the festival circuit is like one big family travelling around the country each summer.
Each stall has more space, to help maintain social distancing. And it is much more pleasurable to browse and view all the fantastic ceramics on display with the additional room.
This year seems to have a broader range of styles and inspirations. Lockdown appears to have provided the ceramic artists with time to explore their creativity, as the work on show is fabulous.
I love this event. And I feel this is the best year ever with an amazing range of work on the stalls. It feels like more artists are attending this year, with over 80 taking stalls in the grounds of the historic house near Penrith.
I couldn’t vote for my favourite piece in the public exhibition, as I couldn’t choose just one piece.
I especially loved the life-sized flock of ceramic sheep and birds of prey. And as you turn each corner, there are unbelievable displays.
The excellent COVID measures in place, including digital track-and-trace, more space for social distancing and ample hand sanitisers makes this annual open-air event a perfect opportunity to get back to some normality. With the majority of visitors wearing a face covering, and the organisers providing stallholders with festival branded visors (very smart) everyone was doing their bit to make it as safe a place as possible.
Exhibitors set their stalls in open-sided marquees, and there is ample opportunity to chat to the creative artisan at a safe distance about their work – and buy from some of the best potters and ceramic artists in the UK, from Caithness to Cornwall.
Judging by those walking back to their cars, many had enjoyed the opportunity to buy original pieces.
Though there were very light, short spells of rain today, the sunshine came through to show this fantastic festival in all it’s glory, with jazz band background music and the delicious aroma of the finest Cumberland sausages on the barbeque in the courtyard. It was the sights, sounds and smells of summer events in Cumbria we have all missed in 2020.
It was a wonderful reminder of what a rural English summer is, and an oasis of calm in what has been a traumatic year.
And when you have enjoyed the ceramics, refreshments and shopping, your day ticket price also includes access to Hutton-in-the-Forest’s beautiful gardens and magnificent grounds. Here you can enjoy a stroll along the topiary terraces and walk the woodland paths among 200-year-old trees.
And what did I buy? Well I can’t believe I’m thinking this far ahead, but 5 beautiful, ceramic baubles for our Christmas tree, which is currently happily growing in a wood, unaware of it’s fate!
- Daily admission is £8 with accompanied children going free. Booking tickets online ahead of time is advised (www.potfest.co.uk) although a number of tickets will be held for sale on the day.
- Potfest continues Saturday 5 & Sunday 6 September 2020.
Post by Karen Morley-Chesworth.
