006: Good News for Stoke & Staffordshire

Featuring: Knot Networking, Walking Festival, World of Wedgwood, We Are Staffordshire, Slamwich Club and Mode Architects.

Apr 08, 2024

What’s On/Things To Do ✅
Knot Networking, Great British Food Festival, Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival
Good News 🎉
£5.4m plan on transport approved, World of Wedgwood open 7 days a week.
Spotlight 🔦
We Are Staffordshire
Food Highlight 🥪
Slamwich Club
Jobs 💸
Mode Architects
Property 🏡
Distinctive character home in Newcastle-under-Lyme
Knot Having It ❌
Misleading headlines

📰 READ NOW: BUILDING BACK MASCULINITY IN STOKE-ON-TRENT'S POST-INDUSTRIAL LANDSCAPE

By Martha Bird, originally published in The Lead.

Stoke’s factories and collieries are a reminder of the redundancy that many men have experienced and still feel… (Read full article)

WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅

Knot Networking. 25/04/24, Smithfield Works, Hanley, 6pm. It’s not networking. It’s a chance to connect with likeminded people who are the forefront of regeneration in Stoke and Staffordshire. These events were originally for the startup community and we have now expanded them to anyone building, creating or actively part of rewriting the future for our region. It’s our first event, it’ll be well worth meeting fellow Knotters IMO.

The Great British Food Festival. May 4th - 6th, Trentham Gardens. Returning once again to Trentham and showcasing the very best of Great British produce. This event features celebrity chef demos, an artisan market, street food stalls, bars, kids activities, crafts and gifts, baking competitions and live music.
Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival. 26th April - 6th May. Delighted to see that there’s a festival celebrating the wonderful walking across Staffordshire Moorlands. 11 days packed with excellent rambles.
Want to head to any of these events with a friend? Share this with them.
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Good News 🎉

Plan to spend £5.4m on City's transport approved. 26 projects to improve roads, footpaths and bridges. (BBC)
World of Wedgwood is now open 7 days a week thanks to strong demand from local and international visitors. V&A Wedgwood Collection, Wedgwood Tea Rooms, Creative Studios and Josiah and Co are now open Monday to Sunday. (World of Wedgwood)

Capital&Centric show off designs for new green spaces at Goods Yard Stoke neighbourhood (Capital&Centric)

Spotlight 🔦 We Are Staffordshire 🪢

We Are Staffordshire exists to shine a light on all the good things about Staffordshire. They create ambassadors, events and opportunities that promote the region. The phrase “place-making” is new to my vocabulary, that’s what We Are Staffordshire do, they are committed to marketing the place of Staffordshire to encourage students to study here, people to relocate or live here and businesses to move in.

It’s this ground work of location branding that often goes unnoticed, yet if you look at all the great cities or regions across the world, they all have one thing in common - a great brand. The I ❤️ NYC t-shirts are one obvious example of excellent place marketing that supports the NYC brand globally.

If you’re a curious bean who’d like to get involved and know a bit more about how to engage with “Brand Staffordshire” a bit more, We Are Staffordshire are holding a “Place to Celebrate Conference” on 16th April at Staffordshire University.

Food Highlight - Slamwich Club 🥪

Started in 2018 by two Stoke-born best mates, Nicole and Steph, Slamwich Club is a continuing “f*ck you” to anyone hating on Stoke’s City Centre. Their love of music, sandwiches and a good time has been enough to fuel their continuing success on Piccadilly, even through a pandemic.

It’s the kind of place you’ll walk in and be temped to say; “ooh it’s like being in London in here” (don’t say it). The branding, design and fit-out is on point and the music is upbeat, sometimes with a DJ on the decks, not just the snazzy Spotify playlist.

theslamwichclub

A post shared by @theslamwichclub

The food is a seismic twist on the traditional sandwich. “A meal in between two slices of bread” is the best way to look at it. Each dish is well constructed with a wide range of options for all taste buds and dietary requirements. Obviously the most important thing for some people is how instagram-friendly the food is and with a Slamwich Club logo scorched into the top, it scores high on that front.

For me; I’ve not eaten off this latest menu, but I’m told the Porkie Pig is top notch. I’ve got my eye on the Satays-faction personally. See what I mean about the branding?

Food coma alert.

JOBS 💰

Mode Architects are hiring an Architect or Architectural Technologist. Find out more on Instagram.

PROPERTY 🏡

Distinctive detached house with period features in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

KNOT HAVING IT ❌

Another frustrating example of a misleading/inflamattory headline. You can’t report someone’s salary in a headline and base it upon the salary range plus pension contributions. Not having it.

I’m very excited to be hosting our first “The Knot” event, it’ll be an excellent chance to meet people and will help me continue to refine The Knot so that it serves our community in the best possible way. I believe deeply that by connecting this community great things will happen - ideas will spark - confidence will build. Change will come.

Cheers,

James Routledge, Editor of The Knot.

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