A former town mayor and elected councillor, who was forced into early retirement by the sudden onset of ill health, has returned to ceramics after thirty-five years by enrolling on a pottery course at the Banbury Campus last year.
Jack Steer, who has fought against his disability for six years, took the decision to enrol on a part-time evening course at OCVC with the opinion that a creative and physical activity may help him manage his difficulties more effectively.  
The course, which currently runs three evenings a week (and is also available at the Oxford Campus), welcomes beginners and improvers alike to develop new skills and produce their own designs in ceramics.
Although throwing pots on a wheel was not a practical choice for Jack, he turned his efforts and attention to hand-building individual pieces and has recently been producing unusual sculptures for use with tea-lights and candles as well as creating pots (pictured), plates and serving dishes.
Jack’s unique style is inspired by organic forms that combine the use of texture, colour and form, aimed at encouraging onlookers to touch and handle the pieces.
Admirers of Jack’s work were not only able to look but were also able to purchase many of his one-off pieces at his debut exhibition which ran from November to December 2006 at the Mill Arts Centre in Banbury.
The course, which Jack attends one evening a week, has encouraged Jack to think about ways of creating pots within his newly acquired restrictions, but he has overcome practical challenges to achieve the great success of being able to showcase his talents to the general public.
“Pottery is an excellent means to develop co-ordination and control that can help people with a disability to gain (or re-gain) physical skills” Jack said, “This experience has brought back great memories of days of youth now long gone, although the future will bring forth joy from making many more pots”.