As a teenager I attended a huge progressive comprehensive school in Bristol, the school had a brilliant art department - with a pottery studio and an enigmatic pottery teacher. That was the start of my career, the falling in love with clay. The mission of FiredUp4 is to provide that opportunity for the young OnSide Youth Zone members, many of whom are vulnerable and marginalised and would not otherwise have this opportunity. Every child has a seed of talent, and exposure to facilities can nurture unforeseen passions. These studios could be a door to a creative life - a child who learns to make things develops a material understanding, can become a more able person, someone more interested and more interesting. Creativity and hand skills need not make a world of artists, it can make well rounded individuals who can be creative in all subjects and feel empowered by their ability to make and create.