What Sharon makes her guests for dinner. Apart from the food!

Sharon at work in her studio

Many of these Heyday stories feature people talking about the hobbies or passions that bring them joy - Graham with his uplifting singing, Sara's therapeutic riding, John and Sparks and their love of sailing. Now meet Sharon (60). Her hobby means she doesn't just plan what to make for her dinner guests to eat, she plans what to make to serve their food on!

"I’ve been doing pottery for about 20 years. My kids got to an age when I felt I could do something, so I decided to go to college. I wanted to do millinery but there wasn’t a course and the pottery teacher suggested I try that so I thought ‘OK, I’ll give it a go’ and ended up doing the City and Guilds course in ceramics.

Pottery is really therapeutic. I think anybody doing anything with their hands will tell you that. Clay is a very lovely medium because you literally put your hands in it. Sometimes it's very physical, sometimes it’s very gentle. You can lose yourself in it and that’s the joy.

Pottery is really therapeutic. You can lose yourself in it and that's the joy

Having my own studio at home is something I've always dreamed of because it allows me to go and potter. It’s space away from everything else I do in my ordinary life and having it literally on my doorstep has made a huge difference for me.

I get my ideas and inspiration from seeing other people’s work and looking at things around me. Sometimes I’ll think ‘gosh, I don’t have a milk jug’ or ‘I’ve got ten people coming to dinner, wouldn’t it be gorgeous to serve ice cream in individual little bowls.’

A lot of what I make I use and I really love using it. So many of my friends come here and at the end of the meal say ‘I really like that bowl’ and then often go home with a present. So I think they like that too!"

I'll bet they do! Do you have a hobby that you love to do? I'd love to hear about it!