UK’s fragile heirloom: ceramics sector calls for more help to save ‘vital industry’

Brands such as Portmeirion in Stoke welcome £120m package but seek further support to avert fresh closuresOn the floor of Portmeirion’s factory in Staffordshire, staff are hard at work as clays are moulded, glazed and fired – an intricate process requiring precision and specialist skills honed over years of practice – to manufacture the company’s array of tableware.Portmeirion, a homeware brand founded in 1960 that employs 433 people, is based in Stoke-on-Trent, at the heart of British ceramics....