Following a search that saw applications from as far afield as Spain and the USA, the Leach Pottery in St. Ives have announced the appointment of their new apprentice, funded by the Seasalt Bursary.

St Ives-born Callum Trudgeon, 25, is the lucky individual who now gets the chance to train and study at the internationally-renowned Cornish pottery.

Callum has studied furniture making and design at Cornwall College but it was an evening class in pottery that first got him interested in this new medium.

Callum found out about the bursary through Facebook and decided to apply.

He said, “These sorts of opportunities don’t come up very often especially at somewhere like the Leach Pottery. I feel very lucky to have been chosen – it’s pretty much a dream job.”

Founded in 1920 by Bernard Leach and Japanese artist, Shoji Hamada, the Leach Pottery is now a UK charity. Alongside promoting the work and life of Bernard Leach, it also works to further the development of studio pottery and encourage young talent through its studio and education programme. With long-held strong links to the creative community, particularly, in St Ives, we were delighted to provide backing for this innovative 12-month scheme.

Julia Twomlow, Leach Pottery Director, said, “We had a fantastic number of applications for this apprenticeship and had to drill them down to a shortlist of 9 people which is much more than we would normally, just because the standard was so high. We’re really looking forward to having Callum join us later this month and getting started on what should be an exciting 12 months to come.”

The Seasalt Bursary coincides with the launch of a unique collection of tableware created by the Leach Pottery for Seasalt.