004: Good News for Stoke & Staffordshire
MARA retreat, Museum of The Moon, Justine Simons OBE, plenty of good news, Anasma and stop saying it's sh*t.
This week in The Knot 👇🏼
What’s On/Things To Do ✅
MARA Retreat at Cannock Chase, Museum of The Moon Exhibition.Spotlight 🔦
Justine Simons OBE, Deputy Mayor for Culture & Creative Industries in London.Good News 🎉
Staffs Uni Student Village approved, Stoke awarded £250k to preserve heritage, Planning permission in NUL, Wedgwood statue moving.Food Highlight 🇬🇷
Anasma Greek Bakery and Restaurant.Jobs 💸
Social media manager at LOVALL - lifestyle brand based in CannockProperty 🏡
A unique spot backing onto Rudyard LakeKnot Having It ❌
It’s not a “sh*thole”
📰 READ NOW: Unravelling The Stafford Knot
By Jenna Goodwin, The Red Haired Stokie.
The Stafford Knot, often mistakenly called the Staffordshire Knot, is an emblem steeped in the rich tapestry ….(Read full article)
WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅
MARA Retreat. Cannock Chase, 18th May. Lock your phone in a box and experience a natural high. This 4 hour retreat deep in ‘The Chase’ gives you yoga, sauna, cold water immersion, breathwork and trail run/walk in the heart of the forest. If MARA’s run clubs across Lichfield and Stone are anything to go by this day will be filled with good people, good vibes and leave you feeling high on life, without the shame or the hangover.
Use discount code PURENATURE for an exclusive The Knot discount.
Cheadle Moon: Museum of The Moon Exhibition. 16 March - Fri 5 April, St Giles, Cheadle. This six metre replica of the Moon looks epic, with NASA imagery scaled to model the actual moon. On the surface, you’ll find the Blagg crater. Mary Blagg was a pioneering female astronomer who lived her whole life in Cheadle in the 19th Century and contributed groundbreaking work to the mapping of the moon’s landscape. Fantastic news.
Art Explora, The Tate x MuMo. Burslem & Hanley, 27 March - 6 April. Experience a slice of Tate on wheels with a pop-up musuem travelling the UK. Soup, Socks and Spiders! Art of the Everyday is the exhibition on show.
Spotlight 🔦 Justine Simons OBE
“There are more statues of animals in London than named statues of women”
It’s really good to see people Made in Stoke, doing really well.
Read this profile on Justine Simons and her latest opinion piece on why culture matters and you’ll see how Trentham-born, Justine Simons is shaping London’s cultural landscape. She’s an advocate and ambassador for culture and the creative industries across London and the UK. Despite her day job being London focused she’s never stopped being a proud ambassador of where she’s from. She’s become a key player in raising Stoke’s profile nationally, most recently in leading a Made in Stoke event at the V&A London that announced donation-matching across the arts in Stoke-on-Trent. Read, follow, be inspired and tell people (especially young people) in your life about Justine, she’s an inspiration.
Good News 🎉
Loads of good news this week. It must be Spring.
Staffs Uni plans for student village approved. 700 student rooms and existing accommodation refurbished. (Staffordshire University)
Stoke-on-Trent gets £250k from National Lottery Heritage Fund to create heritage framework to preserve history. (BBC)
Planning permission pending for Capital & Centric (same developer as Goods Yard) to take on York Place in Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
Wedgwood statue is moving and £29m development of Stoke train station area can begin. (Phil Corrigan, Sentinel)
Food Highlight - Anasma Greek Bakery and Eatery 🇬🇷
by Zuzanna Pog
I am itching to get away for some sun and amazing food. Greek cuisine has been a forever favourite since my first visit there in 2011. Post-travel blues make me miss fresh pastries and meals that require a long nap after. Anasma Greek Bakery and Eatery brings delish meals without having to hop on a plane to Greece.
The business is owned by Marianna Anastasiou who successfully opened a bakery during the pandemic and has been growing since. Their bakery site in Newcastle under Lyme is perfect for lunch or a quick pick-me-up, and their Trentham Gardens site is nestled at the back of the shopping village. The food is authentic, cooked with love, attention and so much care. It’s perfect for a date night or an evening to impress your friends with something unique.
For me; a chicken gyros and tzatziki for lunch with a Greek tea are the perfect combo. For dinner at Trentham, an Anasma Clay pot is my absolute go to.
Warning: Once you try their food you have to keep going back for more.
JOBS 💸
Knot your average job. Highlighted role.
LOVALL - The Home of Leggings. A hidden gem. LOVALL is a lifestyle brand tucked away in the corner of Staffordshire. They’ve been pumping out quality leggings for years with a successful e-commerce business that has lately levelled itself up with a rebrand and influencer partnerships. They’re on the lookout for a social media manager. Apply on LinkedIn.
PROPERTY 🏡
One for the watersport enthusiasts! Look at this place backing onto Rudyard Lake.
KNOT HAVING IT ❌
To the people who call where we live a “shithole”. The only thing that’s “shit” is your attitude. Do something about it. Change it. We’re not having it any more.
Full steam ahead. I’m feeling positive. I thought the post on The Sentinel and SOT Live would cause more of a stir, if I’m honest I think a lot of people just nodded their head, people already know it. That’s good news, because it means people are ready for a change in how we talk about this place and I can feel that. I’m unsure how much people want the long reads and in-depth journalism. Personally, I feel l like there’s a gap and believe there are stories that deserve attention that won’t get covered otherwise. I want to celebrate all that is good here, yet also want to be realistic that there are critical challenges that deserve critical attention. It’d be a bit trite to just pretend it was all good news. I’m not here for that.
Really what I’m trying to say is, can you help me out and let me know what you want more or less of? What’s going down well, what’s not? You can reply to the email and it’ll go straight to me.
Cheers,
James Routledge, Editor of The Knot.
FRIENDS OF THE KNOT 👋🏼
Thank you to support from our friends.
Highlight of my Monday morning :)