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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Meet the man who is smashing it with his pottery business - despite only having one ARM

Credit: SWNS STUDIO
Duration: 01:44s 0 shares 1 views

Meet the man who is smashing it with his pottery business - despite only having one ARM
Meet the man who is smashing it with his pottery business - despite only having one ARM

Meet the man who makes beautifully intricate pottery - despite only having one ARM.Gary Fulton lost the use of his right arm in a motorbike accident and got stuck in a dead-end telesales job.But in 2017 he turned his hand to pottery, and now he is making his mark in the industry despite his disability.The potter, from Hayle, Cornwall, said that his disadvantage made each piece he makes unique - and he is hoping to start making a living from his new passion.Gary said: "I try, it's not the easiest thing to do but I enjoy it and people seem to like what I make."Centre-ing large lumps of clay can be difficult one handed, I'm a bit restricted by the size of stuff I can make but I'm trying."Every piece is different.

They will be similar sizes but no two are the same."Everything is hand made and it's rustic, I'm not an expert by any means but people seem to like what I make.

It's a lovely feeling."I've made a few hundred pieces in total I'd have thought, generally in a week I'll make around 20 to 30 pieces."Gary is a military veteran who served in Northern Ireland and Kenya, and his claim to fame was being one of the last soldiers to guard Nazi Rudolf Hess at Spandau Prison in Berlin.But after his military life, Gary, who lives with his wife, Susan, 55, was involved in a terrible motorbike accident.He was going round a roundabout in Truro, Cornwall, when he was knocked off by a car and rendered unconscious.He added: "I lost my arm after a motorbike accident, I was knocked off on a roundabout. "I can't remember anything about the collision, I was sparked out."I was in a coma for a while, I nearly died and was on life support, it was a bizarre time."When he came too, Gary was told that his arm was seriously damaged and that he would never regain full use of the limb.He added: "Doing large things presents problems but you just try and work around it."If I want to build up the walls I need something to support it and I don't have a second hand to do that with, I'm hoping to have a way around that by using tongs."As you go bigger the centrifugal force pulls the clay apart, it has a tendency to fly off and get a bit messy."Gary turned his hand to pottery after he ended up in prison for money laundering and served two years and three months of his sentence.While behind bars, Gary, a father of four and grandfather of six, signed up to distance learning and was invited to attend a session with rehabilitation group Landworks, based in Totnes, Devon.Gary continued: "I was in prison for money laundering, I served two years and three months."It had a massive impact on my life, it wasn't a great time.

I was found guilty, what can you do?"It was horrible, you have to get the most out of a bad situation."I started distance learning and I had the opportunity to go to Landworks in Devon."That's where I learned pottery."Now, Gary lives a quiet life by the seaside and says he wants to focus on his pottery - which he sells at art and craft fairs, and in a few local galleries.He added: "I do it mostly in the evenings and weekends.

I try to sell them at craft fairs and markets, and they're in a few galleries."I've got a day job as well, in telesales - selling windows and conservatories."I've been doing it for three years, since 2017."My life has never been dull, I could never be accused of being boring."Stuff happens to lots of people, I just take each day as it comes."I just want a quiet life to be honest, and I'm hoping I can make something of the pottery."

Meet the man who makes beautifully intricate pottery - despite only having one ARM.Gary Fulton lost the use of his right arm in a motorbike accident and got stuck in a dead-end telesales job.But in 2017 he turned his hand to pottery, and now he is making his mark in the industry despite his disability.The potter, from Hayle, Cornwall, said that his disadvantage made each piece he makes unique - and he is hoping to start making a living from his new passion.Gary said: "I try, it's not the easiest thing to do but I enjoy it and people seem to like what I make."Centre-ing large lumps of clay can be difficult one handed, I'm a bit restricted by the size of stuff I can make but I'm trying."Every piece is different.

They will be similar sizes but no two are the same."Everything is hand made and it's rustic, I'm not an expert by any means but people seem to like what I make.

It's a lovely feeling."I've made a few hundred pieces in total I'd have thought, generally in a week I'll make around 20 to 30 pieces."Gary is a military veteran who served in Northern Ireland and Kenya, and his claim to fame was being one of the last soldiers to guard Nazi Rudolf Hess at Spandau Prison in Berlin.But after his military life, Gary, who lives with his wife, Susan, 55, was involved in a terrible motorbike accident.He was going round a roundabout in Truro, Cornwall, when he was knocked off by a car and rendered unconscious.He added: "I lost my arm after a motorbike accident, I was knocked off on a roundabout.

"I can't remember anything about the collision, I was sparked out."I was in a coma for a while, I nearly died and was on life support, it was a bizarre time."When he came too, Gary was told that his arm was seriously damaged and that he would never regain full use of the limb.He added: "Doing large things presents problems but you just try and work around it."If I want to build up the walls I need something to support it and I don't have a second hand to do that with, I'm hoping to have a way around that by using tongs."As you go bigger the centrifugal force pulls the clay apart, it has a tendency to fly off and get a bit messy."Gary turned his hand to pottery after he ended up in prison for money laundering and served two years and three months of his sentence.While behind bars, Gary, a father of four and grandfather of six, signed up to distance learning and was invited to attend a session with rehabilitation group Landworks, based in Totnes, Devon.Gary continued: "I was in prison for money laundering, I served two years and three months."It had a massive impact on my life, it wasn't a great time.

I was found guilty, what can you do?"It was horrible, you have to get the most out of a bad situation."I started distance learning and I had the opportunity to go to Landworks in Devon."That's where I learned pottery."Now, Gary lives a quiet life by the seaside and says he wants to focus on his pottery - which he sells at art and craft fairs, and in a few local galleries.He added: "I do it mostly in the evenings and weekends.

I try to sell them at craft fairs and markets, and they're in a few galleries."I've got a day job as well, in telesales - selling windows and conservatories."I've been doing it for three years, since 2017."My life has never been dull, I could never be accused of being boring."Stuff happens to lots of people, I just take each day as it comes."I just want a quiet life to be honest, and I'm hoping I can make something of the pottery."

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