Team building ideas in Chester

Creative workshops

Creative sessions level the playing field: nobody is the expert, everyone has a go, and there’s something to show for it at the end. These are the six packages we run for teams at Pictura, all 90 minutes, for 10 or more people:

• Canvas painting, £40 a person + VAT: Step-by-step tuition from a professional artist, all materials, brushes and aprons, and a canvas for everyone to take home on the day.
• Pottery painting, £42 a person + VAT: A choice of pottery (mugs, plates, bowls, small vases or figurines), and all paints, glazes and kiln firing. Ready to collect in 4 weeks. Need it sooner? Add Quick Fire for £5 a person and it’s ready within 48 hours.
• Clay sculpting, £50 a person + VAT: Expert tuition in hand-building techniques, with all clay, tools, glazing and kiln firing included. Ready to collect in 4 weeks.
• Resin charcuterie board, £65 a person + VAT: Design and pour your own food-safe resin charcuterie board, guided step by step. All materials and professional instruction included. Boards need 48 hours to cure, so they go home later.
• Pottery throwing & hand-building, £75 a person + VAT: Time on the pottery wheel and guided hand-building. Professional tuition, all clay, tools, glazes and firing, aprons and equipment. Up to 6 people on the wheel at once. Studio only.
• Roll & Draw: Crazy Cubist Portraits, £40 a person + VAT: A quirky, fast-paced drawing challenge where teams roll dice to build a surreal cubist portrait. All materials and an optional prize. No drawing skill needed.

Every activity can come to your office except the pottery wheel, which is studio only. See all corporate packages and prices.

Staff social, team building or away day?

• Staff socials are about relaxing together. Pick something everyone can chat over, like canvas or pottery painting, and add a welcome glass of prosecco (£5 a person + VAT).
• Team building works best with a shared challenge. Roll & Draw: Crazy Cubist Portraits has teams rolling dice to build surreal portraits, and it’s quick to get going.
• Away days and wellbeing sessions need a calmer pace. Clay sculpting and the pottery wheel are absorbing and hands-on, and they’re priced the same as our other packages.
• Client events suit a hosted session with tea and coffee or prosecco, where guests leave with something they made.

Make a day of it in Chester

Pictura is on the Rows in the city centre, so it’s easy to pair a workshop with a walk. The city walls make a loop of about two miles round the centre, and the covered Rows keep you mostly dry between shops and cafés. Chester Cathedral is just across from Godstall Lane. Check other venues’ own websites for opening times.

Planning a work Christmas party

• Book early for December. A 25% booking fee holds your date (it’s non-refundable, because it covers materials and keeps the date for you).
• Painting pottery? The last day to paint pottery for Christmas is Sunday 13 December, so it’s ready to collect in time.
• Want everything home on the night? Canvas painting and Roll & Draw go home on the day. Resin boards need 48 hours to cure.
• Food: food isn’t included, but you can buy pizzas from our café on the day or order them in advance.

See work Christmas parties at Pictura and our Christmas page.

Budgeting per head

Our prices are per person and exclude VAT. For example, a team of 12 doing canvas painting is 12 × £40 = £480 + VAT. Add unlimited tea and coffee for everyone (12 × £5 = £60) and it’s £540 + VAT. Pottery painting is £42 a person, so the same team would be £504 + VAT before add-ons. Pizzas from our café are extra.

Organiser’s checklist

• Numbers: at least 10 (up to 6 at once on the pottery wheel).
• Studio or office? Everything except the pottery wheel can come to you.
• Day and time: we’re open Tuesday to Friday 10am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 5pm (closed Mondays). Evenings may be possible on request.
• Activity, add-ons (tea and coffee or prosecco) and whether you’d like pizzas.
• Dietary and access needs. The Rows have steps; step-free access is via Godstall Lane.
• Collection: pottery and clay are ready in 4 weeks (Quick Fire on pottery painting, £5 a person, gets it back within 48 hours).