Artist Mary Watson has been leading weekly workshops at the National Glass Centre for armed forces veterans and their families, which has led on to a real eye-opening exhibition.

Participants at these sessions with Mary Watson ranged in age from eight to 80, each of who explored a variety of clay-working techniques including throwing, slab-building, coiling and glazing. Watson: “I am interested in exploring how working with clay can reduce stress and loneliness. It’s a very social artform and brings people together while being creative. Because it’s very tactile and you have to really focus on what you’re doing, I think it takes the social pressure off, meaning social connection can develop quite naturally while you work. I think this might be one of the reasons why people often refer to working with clay as therapeutic and helpful in reducing their anxiety.”

Veterans in Clay Sunderland, until January, National Glass Centre, Sunderland, sunderlandculture.org.uk