Studio Life: Covid-19 Updates
Our response to Covid-19
UPDATED 30.06.20
The team at Sunken Studio and I hope this finds you and yours well.
In response to the latest government advice regarding social distancing, Sunken Studio is restructuring its timetable and studio activities. Please allow time for us to adjust and plan. We’re driven to do what we do and can’t wait to reopen our doors.
We’ve already put in place a range of plans to get the studio back to what it’s meant to be:
“a place for a community to grow, to provide time and space for people's health, happiness, and wellbeing; to help creative businesses grow; and create opportunities”
Please stay tuned:
We’ve also diversified. We’ve added a pottery shop and new membership packages to the website. If you have vouchers you can now use them on courses and/or pots. Fancy your chances in our raffle too?
Reopening
We’ll be reopening the studio on Monday 6 July to our members. Courses will start two weeks later on 18 July. We’re also launching our first e-course in early July!
We’re phasing our re-opening to help prepare the space and to ease ourselves into a new routine. Thank you for supporting Sunken Studio and your patience! While our doors have been shut we’ve been diversifying, planning and building to help secure the studio’s future.
We have made a few changes to our course structure and we are in the process of rearranging interrupted and postponed courses. You’ll have a few new options to choose from - including home-based classes for handbuilders.
Preparations
We still have a fair bit of clearing and planning to do. We will publish a few documents to explain how we’re working towards becoming COVID-secure. We plan to maintain 2m social distancing in all our classes for the foreseeable future. Throwing classes have been reduced to 4 people per class, handbuilding 6 people.
Here are some of the things we’ve done so far:
All small tools and boards have been removed from the studio. We’ll put a pack of tools out for each person during workshops.
There will be potted plants dotted around workbenches to encourage social distancing - please don’t move the plants. Work areas on benches are positioned to avoid prolonged face-to-face contact.
The wheels have been positioned facing a wall and are 2 meters apart.
We have reduced class sizes and created a member’s only work area away from the class benches.
There are single-use hand towels near the toilets and sink.
Hand sanitiser is available throughout the studio.
Things that you can do too:
Wash/sanitise your hands when you arrive and before you leave - pottery making is a great medium for disincentivising touching your face, but please don’t touch your face.
Bring your own apron, overalls or shirt, hand towels and beverages and take them with you when you leave.
Wash down your tools, equipment and tables as guided.
We have also:
Started to digitise many of our courses. They take ages, we’re learning as we go and hopefully they’ll get quicker to produce. At the moment they each take about a month to produce.
Opening Times from 6 July:
M 12:30-20:30
T 12:30-20:30
W 12:30-20:30
T 12:30-20:30
F 12:30-17:30
S 10:00-17:30
S 10:00-17:30
Pottery Collections
If you completed a workshop at Sunken Studio anytime between December 2019 and April 2020 we will keep all unclaimed pots until September 2020. We sent emails with instructions for arranging collection on 22 June.
Pick-up and Drop-off:
From Monday 22 June we can accommodate pick-ups (clay and pottery collections) on Mondays 12:30-19:00. Please text the studio phone (07739 079 438) on Sundays if you’re planning to come. We’ll make a provision for you to collect/drop-off in the car park by the roller shutter. Please let us know in advance by texting us on Sundays.
Classes
We’re topping up all existing bookings, and valid vouchers to give everyone a little more space.
Multi-week courses that started before Tuesday 17 March 2020:
To say thank you for your continued support we’d like to give you more time to enjoy the studio. When you return, your course will be topped-up.
Please check your emails(including junk folders) for further details. We sent updates on 24 March, 15 May and 29 June.
Multi-week courses starting April - September 2020:
To say thank you for your continued support we’d like to give you more time to enjoy the studio. We have boosted all courses that start after 20 April 2020 with complimentary Studio Memberships. Memberships are not transferable and must be used within the timescales specified.
Please check your emails(including junk folders) for further details. We sent updates on 24 March, 15 May and 29 June.
Postponed Tasters and Pottery Experiences, March - September 2020:
If your booking is due to take place March - September 2020, and your workshop is postponed or moved, we’ll issue a like for like voucher. When our new programme is released you’ll be able to rebook your workshop/experience by contacting the studio. The voucher will be valid until 31 December 2020. To say thank you for your continued support we’d like to give you a little more too:
As well as your, like for like, voucher all postponed tasters and experiences:
Receive a 20% Discount. So you can bring a friend, or buy an extra treat from our new Pot Shop.
Vouchers and Discount Codes can be used for workshops and courses, pots, raffles and subscriptions in our Pot Shop.
Please check your emails(including junk folders) for further details. We sent updates on 24 March 2020, 15 May and 30 June.
Conditions:
Vouchers have a minimum order value and must be used in full. Unfortunately, our voucher system is not automated and we’re unable to manage partial payments. Discount Codes can be applied to all products on the website.
Exceptions:
If your voucher was issued by Virgin Experiences you’ll need to contact Sunken Studio. Virgin is now offering a 6 month, free of charge extension via their website, for any customer with a current voucher within its validity period. If the current government guidelines are still in place at the end of this 6 month period Virgin Experiences will reassess.
Vouchers
If you have an unredeemed voucher, that is due to expire March - December 2020, and it was issued by Sunken Studio, Not on the High Street or Uniquely Local there is extra time to redeem your experience and a new option too. All vouchers that are due to expire March - December 2020 are:
Extended by 9 months.
Redeemable against workshops and pots, raffles and subscriptions. (https://www.sunkenstudio.co.uk/pot-shop)
We’ll be adding extensions automatically, you will not need to do anything other than make a note on the end of your voucher.
Conditions:
Vouchers have a minimum order value and must be used in full. Unfortunately, our voucher system is not automated and we’re unable to manage partial payments. Please get in touch if you’d like to buy from our Pot Shop instead of waiting for your experience and we’ll confirm the value with you.
Exceptions:
If your voucher was issued by Virgin Experiences you’ll need to contact Sunken Studio. Virgin is now offering a 6 month, free of charge extension via their website, for any customer with a current voucher within its validity period. If the current government guidelines are still in place at the end of this 6 month period Virgin Experiences will reassess.
Please check your emails(including junk folders) for further details. We sent updates on 24 March 2020.
Squarespace Gift Cards
Purchasing a Squarespace digital gift card creates a unique code. The gift card recipient can enter this code at checkout to subtract the gift card value from their order total. We no longer sell Squarespace gift cards, but you can redeem an existing gift card against all courses and products on our website.
Gift cards can be used as partial or full payments.