The Clay Café at Rhos Fynach brings pottery painting to Rhos-on-Sea

Rhos-on-Sea has a new favourite rainy day activity. The Clay Café, the pottery painting studio in the pavilion at the Rhos Fynach pub and restaurant, has proved a hit since it opened on 27 April.

Owned by husband and wife Justin and Kate Tilley, the café offers a relaxed space where customers pick up a brush and turn plain ceramics into personal keepsakes, from mugs and plates to ornaments and gifts. There is no studio fee, so visitors simply pay for the piece they paint, and food and drink can be ordered from the Rhos Fynach menu.

"Since opening, we have been overwhelmed," Kate said earlier this summer. "We've had grandparents bring their grandchildren, we've had families, not a scream in sight, just lots of interaction and creativity. Our kiln has been on overdrive every single night. In our first month, we did more than 200 orders."

All glazing and firing is done on site, and finished pieces are ready to collect within 10 to 14 days, with postage available for visitors who are just passing through. Popular choices range from animals, money boxes and cake boxes for children to bowls and plates for adults.

The café has also built up a programme of events, from a Pizza, Prosecco and Pottery evening to sessions with a pet portrait artist, and it now offers wooden ducks to paint as well as pottery. "You can now paint one of our wooden ducks who are waiting for you to bring them to life with your own unique style," Kate said.

Its first Family Halloween Painting Party takes place on Saturday 31 October from 2pm to 5pm, with Halloween pottery to paint, a prize for the best dressed and free pizza and hot chocolate for children who buy something to paint. Places are limited.

The Clay Café builds on the success of the Rhos Fynach's revamped crazy golf course, part of the owners' plan to keep evolving what the venue offers.

The Clay Café is open daily from 10am to 6pm, with walk-ins welcome. Book sessions and events at rhosfynach.co.uk.