God, this one hurts to write. I've been covering British manufacturing for nearly a decade, and watching these old family businesses fall one by one feels like watching dominos – except each domino is someone's livelihood, someone's family history.
Dunoon Mugs isn't just another pottery outfit. For fifty bloody years, they've been crafting those fine bone china mugs you probably have sitting in your kitchen cupboard right now. The ones with teh quirky designs your nan bought you last Christmas. But now? They're hanging on by their fingernails.
When "Made in Staffordshire" Meant Something
I visited their Staffordshire workshop last Thursday. Wasn't prepared for how it would hit me, honestly. The place was quieter than it should've been. They've already axed 20% of their workforce and slashed hours for those remaining. Energy bills have exploded to SIX TIMES what they were paying in 2022. Six times! How is any business supposed to absorb that kind of hit?
Sharon Yates showed me around. She's been putting handles on mugs there for over 30 years, and when she told me "It's my life," I could see she meant it literally. Not in that corporate-speak way people say they "love their job." This woman's hands have crafted probably millions of mugs over three decades.
"I just love putting the handles on the mugs. It's hard work, but it's therapeutic. I'm proud to work here — it's in my blood," she told me, never stopping her work as we chatted.
Four generations. That's how deep the Yates family runs at Dunoon. Sharon's 81-year-old mum Irene (who I had a lovely cuppa with), her daughter-in-law Leian, and even her granddaughter Madi.
Is Anyone in Westminster Actually Listening?
Alan Smith, Dunoon's director, didn't mince words when we sat down in his cluttered office. "We're being bombarded from all sides," he told me, looking exhausted. Energy costs, minimum wage increases, employers' national insurance... it's a perfect storm.
When I asked if they might be the next to close, his face said everything before he even answered. "It's entirely possible," he admitted after a long pause.
The Slow Death of a City's Soul
Three Staffordshire potteries have already shut their doors this year alone. Three!
Remember Moorcroft? Over 100 years of history, gone last month. Just like that.
Irene, Sharon's mum, reminisced about when Stoke-on-Trent was "buzzing" with more than 45,000 pottery workers. Now when you walk through certain parts of the city, it's like walking through a graveyard of British manufacturing.
"Heartbreaking," she called it, clutching her handbag so tight her knuckles went white. "I hope the government steps in to help us."
Too Little, Too Late?
There's a meeting happening Wednesday that might be Dunoon's last hope. Stoke MPs, the GMB union, and Ceramics UK are sitting down with Industry Minister Sarah Jones to basically beg for emergency support.
The ceramics industry needs help covering those crippling energy costs and wants a temporary suspension of carbon emissions penalties. Seems reasonable when you're fighting for survival, doesn't it?
But Smith doesn't seem hopeful. After 27 years in the business, he's seen how these meetings typically go.
"I don't think they behave as if they're interested in traditional industries," he told me as we walked past rows of half-finished mugs.
The Department for Business and Trade sent me their standard response about "engaging closely" and ensuring the industry is "globally competitive" as part of their "Plan for Change." I've heard variations of this statement so many times I could probably recite it in my sleep.
What We're Really Losing
Listen. This isn't just about mugs.
It's about craft. It's about families like the Yates who've passed down skills through generations. It's about walking through Stoke and feeling proud of what we make here.
I left Dunoon with a mug Sharon had just finished. She insisted. "So you remember us," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. I'm looking at it on my desk right now, wondering if it might be one of the last they ever make.
And that thought makes me angrier than I probably should admit in print.
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