Latest news with #MoorcroftPottery
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Moorcroft Pottery workers get IT lessons to help job search
Former Moorcroft Pottery workers are being given laptops and IT lessons to help them get back into Burslem-based firm went bust in May, with the loss of 57 women are being helped to improve their digital skills with the help of Stoke-on-Trent City Council and training service Wavemaker."It's all around empowering people with the confidence, kit and skills," said Wavemaker co-founder Ben McManus. Many of the workers had been at the pottery company since leaving school, said Louise Edwards, who was painter for 21 years."So we don't have the skills for the future jobs market," she laptops and lessons are being paid for through government funding, and the course is being run at the GMB Union's offices in Hanley. Just turning the computer on had been a "big thing when you've painted pots for 38 years," said Hayley Moore."When you're in your fifties, you don't really want to start learning something new, but if that's what it takes, that's what it takes," she hunger to learn new skills, and the worker's resilience during stressful circumstances had been "infectious," said Mr McManus. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pottery workers blame energy bills for factory collapse
Pottery workers campaigning to save a factory which has gone into liquidation have said soaring energy prices are to blame. Moorcroft Pottery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ceased trading at the end of April with the loss of 57 jobs, following 112 years of trading. Former workers have said the jobs represented a total of 1,500 years of combined service and skills, and hope a takeover bid will be accepted by the deadline on 4 June. Beverley Berry, who has worked as a painter and designer at Moorcroft for 36 years, blamed the rising cost of fuel for the collapse. "What's been the death of Moorcroft has been basically the fuel costs," she said. "I heard a rumour that the bills went from £60,000 a year to £340,000 a year and that's why we just couldn't sustain things." Ms Berry, who joined the firm after leaving school, said the loss felt "like a bereavement". "All my friends worked there, we were all very close and I just feel lost and I know in the end we'll all move on whether we go back to Moorcroft or not but I just feel really lost," she said. Employees are being offered support with finding new jobs by the GMB Union, with dozens of workers recently attending a meeting at the union's headquarters in Hanley to discuss next steps. Louise Edwards, who has worked for Moorcroft for 21 years, said the news was a shock and had "completely blown us out the water". "It's horrific, people have sat there, incredibly skilled painters, tube liners, casters, all these different skills that they've done and devoted themselves to for that length of time and now they're just sitting waiting, not knowing what they're going to do," she said. Moorcroft was the third pottery firm to collapse since the start of the year, following Royal Stafford and Heraldic Pottery. It had warned in March of possible redundancies and at the time cited rising costs and falling sales. Chris Hoofe, GMB organiser, said it was calling on central government to "act now" to support the ceramics industry. "Unless the government supports this sector with the cost of energy, unfortunately we're going to see more Royal Staffords and more Moorcrofts," he said. Following the collapse of the firm, a spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade previously said: "We know this will be a concerning time for Moorcroft Pottery workers and their families. "Ministers continue to engage closely with the ceramics sector to understand the challenges and provide support, ensuring the industry is globally competitive as part of our Plan for Change." This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Pottery firm goes bust after more than 100 years Moorcroft Pottery can be saved - ceramics boss Tile factory set to close with 105 jobs at risk Axed staff from failed pottery to go back to work Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
24-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Stoke-on-Trent: Moorcroft pottery workers blame energy bills for collapse
Pottery workers campaigning to save a factory which has gone into liquidation have said soaring energy prices are to Pottery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ceased trading at the end of April with the loss of 57 jobs, following 112 years of workers have said the jobs represented a total of 1,500 years of combined service and skills, and hope a takeover bid will be accepted by the deadline on 4 Berry, who has worked as a painter and designer at Moorcroft for 36 years, blamed the rising cost of fuel for the collapse. "What's been the death of Moorcroft has been basically the fuel costs," she said."I heard a rumour that the bills went from £60,000 a year to £340,000 a year and that's why we just couldn't sustain things." Ms Berry, who joined the firm after leaving school, said the loss felt "like a bereavement"."All my friends worked there, we were all very close and I just feel lost and I know in the end we'll all move on whether we go back to Moorcroft or not but I just feel really lost," she are being offered support with finding new jobs by the GMB Union, with dozens of workers recently attending a meeting at the union's headquarters in Hanley to discuss next Edwards, who has worked for Moorcroft for 21 years, said the news was a shock and had "completely blown us out the water"."It's horrific, people have sat there, incredibly skilled painters, tube liners, casters, all these different skills that they've done and devoted themselves to for that length of time and now they're just sitting waiting, not knowing what they're going to do," she said. Moorcroft was the third pottery firm to collapse since the start of the year, following Royal Stafford and Heraldic had warned in March of possible redundancies and at the time cited rising costs and falling Hoofe, GMB organiser, said it was calling on central government to "act now" to support the ceramics industry."Unless the government supports this sector with the cost of energy, unfortunately we're going to see more Royal Staffords and more Moorcrofts," he the collapse of the firm, a spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade previously said: "We know this will be a concerning time for Moorcroft Pottery workers and their families."Ministers continue to engage closely with the ceramics sector to understand the challenges and provide support, ensuring the industry is globally competitive as part of our Plan for Change." This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
13-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Interest expressed in collapsed Stoke-on-Trent pottery firm
"Various interested parties" have come forward after a pottery firm collapsed last month, its liquidator has Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent ceased trading on 30 April and announced it was entering liquidation, with its 57 employees all made Recovery was appointed by the firm to handle the process and director Laura Pickering said Moorcroft would officially enter liquidation on 27 told BBC Radio Stoke an agent had put the company's assets up for sale, which included its name, online presence, factory and remaining retail stock. "We're in touch with various interested parties who have come forward since the sad news reached the press and the local community," she said."We've got various people who are interested in potentially looking to take Moorcroft forward but at the moment, we don't have any deal agreed - we can't agree a deal until the company is in liquidation." 'Difficult industry' Despite the expressions of interest, Ms Pickering said nobody has committed to purchasing the business as a said the pottery sector was a "difficult industry" at the moment and getting someone to take on a sizeable firm was a "difficult sell".Moorcroft, which had been trading for more than 100 years, was the third ceramics company to collapse since the start of the year, following Royal Stafford and Heraldic sparked further concerns about the future of the industry in the face of rising energy prices and falling sales. MPs, unions and workers have been calling on the government to support the sector, with meetings held with Williams, Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, recently called on the government to "act now" to save the industry."What we can't have is any more of our pot banks going, it's part of what makes us a city. It's in our DNA," he said. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Ministers urged to 'act now' to help Stoke-on-Trent pottery firms
The government needs to "act now" to save Stoke-on-Trent's pottery industry, one of the city's MPs has North MP David Williams said he was "gutted and devastated" after Moorcroft Pottery in Burslem became the latest ceramics firm to collapse, with its 57 employees all made is the third company to shut since the start of the year, which has sparked concerns over the future of an industry beset by rising costs, largely caused by increased energy city's MPs and union representatives have been calling on the government to support the ailing industry. Mr Williams told BBC Radio Stoke: "Ultimately, the time to act is now. What we can't have is any more of our pot banks going, it's part of what makes us a city. It's in our DNA."He said a list of proposals had been put forward to the government about how the sector could be supported."It's now time the government acts and takes up some of those proposals. Ultimately, we need to get the energy bills down. It's the energy bills that are killing business," he added. Mr Williams said the government's industrial strategy and spending review in June were critical for the future of the industry."That's when I hope the government will make a positive decision to support the sector," he comments came after he attended a meeting of former Moorcroft workers at the GMB union's office in Stoke-on-Trent on Wednesday. Paula Dale, who worked at Moorcroft for 27 years, was one of the former employees at the said she "could not believe it" when the announcement was made and that the news came as a shock."I never wanted it to end, I never wanted to work anywhere else."I'm nearly 59 and I never thought I'd have to get another job at my age after being there for so long," she said."The industry will die with us and none of us want that." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
