Meet The Clay Mill Team

Isobelle (“Izzy”) Hayes first joined The Clay Mill in 2019 while pursuing her degree in Design at Manchester University. Earning a well-deserved First-Class degree during lockdown. Izzy is our specialist in wild clay​, digging clay and firing as close to source as possible​. Developing this process gained her a Green Graduate award​ which involved a year of creative business mentoring and taking part in exhibition​s including The Blue Coat Gallery​.

Izzy is our Lead Tutor and Technician and we could not have made the move to new premises without her support. She has a vital role in our beginners’ classes and taster sessions. With exceptional throwing skills, a patient teaching approach, and a calming presence in the studio, she creates an encouraging environment for learners at all levels. Somehow Izzy manages to keep an eye on everyone and knows when to step in and when to let students discover for themselves.

Izzy has also been an integral part of our Arts Council England Research & Development project​, attending access training with Unlimited and being an important collaborator in developing access in the new space.

​Among many things, Izzy keeps our clay recycling, our kilns packed and  our studio organised.

Sarah changed career from being an experienced primary school teacher to pursue other work and brings her skills to The Clay Mill by running regular workshops using imaginative and playful modelling techniques.  Sarah joined us in 2021, originally as a thrower and then one day tried a hand at modelling tiny houses and hadn’t looked back since.

“Clay is my safe space, my soul space, it allows me to escape the rigours of the real world and explore creatively. Since my early teens, I’ve loved all things arty, but really found my passion when I was taught how to throw on a wheel at school and guided by a wonderful art technician. Returning to clay years later kick-started the love of mud all over again! I find myself daydreaming of my next creations or waiting for the next time I can get my hands on clay.”

Sarah is now our ‘go to’ tutor for weekend hand-building tasters and is always experimenting with new glaze effects. Her workshops making mini landscape, tiny clay houses, fungi and trinket bowls are always popular for public tasters, team-building and public events, demonstrating that adults need to play too!

Kate is an experienced teacher and educator and is passionate about bringing creativity into education and delivers creative projects with schools and in The Clay Mill space. Kate teaches some hand-building and is our expert in schools and work with children.

Kate says of clay, “Ceramics gives me peace. Working with clay brings focus and creativity, something I longed for while teaching. Over time, it became more than a balance — it became a new beginning. Leaving the classroom allowed me to give my full attention to this quieter, more personal art. In my home studio, I find calm in shaping forms that reflect nature, people, and history. The clay connects me to something steady and timeless. Each piece feels like a small story of renewal — a reminder that change, though uncertain, can lead to a deeper sense of purpose and peace”

Kate acts and directs in theatre and when she’s not busy with performances, she is now a full-time potter. Here she is in her own Fox Mill Pottery Studio glazing.