12/08/2026
Yesterday we were on ITV news.
The temperatures in the UK this summer are lush🌞🌞…. But not when trying to fire ceramics and work in a studio where kilns are on.
Unfortunately we have lost thousands of ££ worth of stock due to kilns failing and the glaze being ruined. The kilns turn off if the computer board is too hot (70 degrees Celsius which means the room is above 40). When the room is already at 32 in the day time… it doesn’t give much space to get warmer when the kilns go on.
We also have paid out more to fire kilns as when they fail, sometimes they can go back on and then we pay the cost again.
We have had to cancel workshops because it is too hot and send staff home early.
And lastly we have been quoted £10k for kiln ventilation (that I enquired about in May) but they can’t install until September due to how busy they are.
This time of year is our ‘quiet’ period, when we build stock for the rest of the year. It’s honestly been 3 months of apologising to customers about delays due to hot weather and we haven’t been making stock for Christmas. It’s relentless.
However, what itv didn’t add, was me saying it’ll be fine though. You know why? Because my business is coming up to 7 years. That’s 7 years of learning to adapt, learning to manage cash flow and spend money when needed and building an incredible customer base. We’ve survived covid … what more can I say! This is a bump in the road. The long road. And bumps just add opportunity to learn and grow 🙌🏼 we obviously appreciate all patience, support, shares and sales but we will be okay 🧡💪🏼
