Why Leanne is so fired up

And Leanne Rostron was able to showcase her products to an international audience thanks to a unique partnership between the Ceramic Industry Forum, Staffordshire University and the UK ceramic industry.

Leanne, who will be graduating this year from the MA ceramic design course at Staffordshire University, joined 400 other exhibitors at the prestigious International Spring Fair held at Birmingham's NEC last week. The event attracted visitors from all over the world.

A past student of King David School, Leanne also attended Manchester Metropolitan University where she graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in contemporary craft in 2003.

Since embarking on the MA ceramic design course at Staffordshire University, she has completed work with Marie Claire, Wedgwood and Portmeirion as well as spending a semester working in the design department of Dudson Ltd, a company specialising in ceramics for the hotel and leisure industry.

Leanne explained: "I am really pleased with the work that Ive achieved while on the MA course and it's been fantastic to get to work on live projects for household name companies like Wedgwood."

She added: "The show at the NEC gave me the perfect opportunity to show off the standard of my work, so well in fact that Ive already sold some of my designs and have been offered freelance design work."

The five-day exhibition at the NEC is well known for being the largest home and giftware trade show in the UK and it allowed students to network and to get industry feedback from buyers, designers and senior managers.

This was the second such event and was the brainchild of David Sanderson, course leader at Staffordshire University, and Gavin Pryke, design adviser for the Ceramic Industry Forum.

Funded by the DTI, the Forum continues to be driven by the needs of the industry and provides its 800 members with a range of services including manufacturing process improvement programmes and other assistance.