A creative hobby used as a stress relief during a tough time has fired into a new business for Teignmouth.

Jo Swanwick took up pottery as an escape and much needed ‘me-time’ away from her full-on life running her own hairdressing business, caring for her mother who had been diagnosed with dementia, and bringing up three children.

As well as being ‘a saving grace for my mental health’, the classes unlocked a hidden creativity and provided a real sense of community.

Jo now hopes to provide a similar experience for people in and around Teignmouth with the opening of her pottery workshop, The Mud Club, near Teignmouth docks.

Since she was a child, Jo had always been drawn to fiddling with Play Doh, Plasticine, and later, Fimo modelling clay. However, her first experience of a pottery wheel didn’t come until 2015 when she was gifted a surprise taster session during an anniversary weekend in Brighton. ‘I’d always wanted to do the wheel,’ she said. ‘I loved it and I wanted to learn everything.’

She subsequently took pottery classes and realised that, as well as learning about working with clay, she was welcomed into a community and her mental health was benefitting too.

‘There’s something about the physical act of working with clay that is really effective against depression and anxiety,’ Jo commented. ‘It’s amazing what it does to the mind and how it can help with depression,’ she added.

Jo, and husband Ben, hope the Mud Club, which can be found next door to The Cave in The Old Quay House, will cater for all ages and abilities. The Mud Club offers taster sessions, lessons, open studio workshops and private hire. But most of all, Jo and Ben want the Mud Club to grow into a supportive community where playing with clay can give people an outlet and escape from ‘this crazy world we live in’.