A former BT executive has joined a celebrated Suffolk pottery to help build the business.

John Baldry joins wife, Valerie - also from BT - at quirky teapot makers Carters of Suffolk, which is based at Stonham Barns Park near Debenham.

John - who has been appointed business development consultant - spent 45 years at the telecommunications giant where he held a number of posts including regional manager for customer service.

The pottery business underwent a top-level shake-up last year after previous joint-owner Mark Gillam retired.

Valerie - who is originally from Essex but lives at East Bergholt - was appointed managing director of Carters of Suffolk in October to work alongside business partner Alan Forward, the owner of Stonham Barns Park. She spent 27 years with BT Group.

John Baldry has joined Carters of Suffolk (Picture: Keith Suffling)In his new role, John will be helping to develop all aspects of the business including product development, customer svbal sales and marketing and community engagement.

It was "a privilege" to join the globally-recognised UK business, which is "flying the flag for beautifully crafted, hand-made novelty teapots" said John.

"I am excited to embark on a new adventure with Carters of Suffolk after completing a highly successful career in telecoms," he added.

"My goal is to enhance growth and development in the support of the directorship and artisan manufacturing team."

Demand for British gift items is still strong in Europe and the US, said John, and Carters of Suffolk had seen a resurgence in demand for quality British products.

"I intend to enhance our service offering and to keep our customers engaged as we push for future growth. We have challenges ahead - as all businesses - but the future is looking very positive," he said.

Valerie said the business had a significant following of national and international buyers.

"John’s appointment will further consolidate the Carters of Suffolk operation at Stonham Barns Park which has been enjoying success with new orders from the UK and all parts of the globe," she said.

"We are looking to build on our product sales at the same time as developing visitor experiences and community engagement with our unique and quirky hand-painted teapot collection.

"Our base at Stonham Barns Park in mid-Suffolk inspires creativity and we want to bring this flavour of Suffolk to giftware collectors everywhere."

She was "excited" to see what new developments they could bring to the range in the years ahead, she said.

"Tea is the one thing that will never go out of fashion – particularly with the increase in demand for afternoon teas – and so we have a bright and colourful future ahead."

Carters of Suffolk was created by Debenham-based potter Tony Carter and his late wife Anita. He retired from the business before it passed onto the current owners at Stonham Barns Park.

The business has just launched "experience visits" to the factory to enable visitors to see how the collectable teapots are made and painted by its artisan workforce.

Customers can already paint their own teapots in the pottery studio - an activity which is increasingly popular with families, wedding parties, holidaymakers and various clubs from around the region.

The company has received a number of prestigious awards including the latest one from LuxLife for Best Handmade Ceramic Giftware Producer Award 2022. Each teapot takes about a week to produce. They are made in small quantities to make them highly collectable.

The pottery’s most popular designs include the classic British collection, the baking range, the book collection, the Aga range, the animal range and locomotive collections.

The business supplies department stores, museums, gift shops and tearooms around the UK and Europe, and online retailers including Wayfair and Etsy.