Children learn about local clay industry

February 2010

Children from Bearnes Primary School in Newton Abbot took a close-up look at a famous local industry on a recent visit to Sibelco’s ball clay operations. All forty eight pupils from the school toured the company’s quarrying operations to learn about a clay industry which has thrived in the region for over 300 years. As well as seeing the quarry and processing plants, the children had the opportunity to learn more about ball clay with some hands-on activities in Sibelco’s laboratories.

Rebecca Robinson from Bearnes Primary School said: “We wanted the children to understand how clay is extracted from the ground in its raw form before being processed and used to make everyday ceramic items. It was well organised with experts available throughout the day to answer the children’s questions. This first hand experience has enabled the children to gain a better understanding of our local clay industry.”

Ben Uphill of Sibelco UK who helped to coordinate the visit commented: “It was a great day and all of our young visitors seemed to take a lot from the experience. We try to maintain a close relationship with local schools and visits like this are a great way for children to get to know more about an important local industry and its history.”

Sibelco UK (formerly known as WBB) is one of the world’s leading producers of ball clay, working the deposits of the Bovey Basin for over 300 years. The company has also produced china clay from the deposits of south-western Dartmoor since 1873. Devon’s clays have been used by manufacturers of white-bodied pottery since the days of the famous 18th century potters such as Josiah Wedgwood, Astbury and Spode. Nowadays Sibelco’s products (which still retain the original WBB brand name) are shipped to over 80 countries around the world to be used in the manufacture of sanitaryware, tiles, tableware and structural ceramic products.