A former Corsham police officer who swapped handcuffs for pottery is about to take centre stage at one of the biggest ceramic events in the industry.

Since throwing in the day job to pursue her hobby, Jo Taylor, 44, has not looked back. She is a member of the Royal British Society of Sculptors and her work has been shortlisted for countless awards.

She is also one of a handful of UK ceramic artists to be demonstrating at the International Ceramics Festival in Aberystwyth this July. In front of thousands of people she will be using her pottery wheel to showcase her creations.

It is a far cry from what Mrs Taylor used to do, working as a beat officer in Corsham and response officer in Swindon for eight years, and in 2003 made the decision to turn her hand to pottery full-time.

“You come to a point in life where you have to make a decision,” she said, “It was a real risk changing careers, because as a police officer I had a steady career ahead of me, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t.”

Mrs Taylor built up her skills studying for a degree and then Masters at Bath Spa University. Some of her lessons took place in Corsham Court and the historic building gave her the inspiration for her designs.

Now an established ceramicist she charges anything from £350 to £1,500 for a sculpture and has recently been asked to work on a top-secret high profile commission.

However she admits she was surprised to receive the email inviting her to the International Ceramics Festival.

She said: “It is one of those things that you don’t apply for it and they talk among themselves about who they will ask, I feel really privileged to be asked and I was blown away when I got the email.”

Over the weekend, as part of her demonstrations, she will be using coloured porcelain and making freestanding sculptures and wall hung pieces to show how she builds her pieces.

Mrs Taylor added: “It’s terrifying but I’m excited and nervous because it is a really big deal. The journey has allowed me to visit places and meet people I never could have imagined."

To see Mrs Taylor’s work go to: jotaylorceramics.com. Tickets for the International Ceramics Festival can be bought at internationalceramicsfestival.org or by ringing 01970 62 32 32.