008: Good News for Stoke & Staffordshire

Featuring: Stoke-on-Trent Comedy Festival, Confidence Live, Stoke on BBC 2, Queen Elizabeth Statue, Staffordshire Film Office, Feast Stone, 2 bed in Hanley and more lazy journalism to call out.

The Knot

Apr 22, 2024

What’s On/Things To Do ✅
Stoke-on-Trent Comedy Festival, Confidence Live, Jazz and Bass.
Good News 🎉
Stoke shines on BBC 2 show, Queen Elizabeth Statue in NUL, Staffordshire Film Office Opens
Spotlight 🔦
Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts in Stoke, out Tuesday 8am.
Food Highlight 🥪
Feast Stone
Property 🏡
Well finished two bed in Hanley
Knot Having It ❌
More lazy journalism on Stoke as an “underperforming” city.

WHAT’S ON/THINGS TO DO ✅

Stoke-on-Trent Comedy Festival. Friday 10th and Saturday 11th May, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery. This festival kicks off on Friday night with Shazia Mirza headlining, who’s properly famous and regularly on TV and Radio. Best known for being a trailblazing muslim woman in comedy, she once presented a show called “F*ck off I’m a hairy woman” which gives you a flavour of her comedy. After that there are 5 other comedians performing, many with “Live at the Apollo” fame and all with TV and radio credentials.

Confidence Live. 2nd May, Stoke, King’s Hall. Imagine a conference that’s more like a festival, it’s full of life, music, diversity and powerful stories about life, about confidence, about who we are as humans. Imagine laughing, and crying and feeling like you can be anyone you want to be in that room. Imagine that being in the King’s Hall in Stoke, the place your Grandma and Grandad probably met at a dance half century ago. Yes, all of this and more. Last year Caitlin Moran was a speaker, this year it’s Katherine Ryan and promises to be equally epic. Created by the recently returned Kirsty Hulse who I feel like more people in Stoke need to know about and follow. Go get it.

Local legends get 25% off with discount code FRIENDSOF

kirstyhulse

A post shared by @kirstyhulse

Off The Record presents Jazz & Bass. Thursday 2nd May, 8pm, Captain’s Bar, Hanley. I’m blown away by the amount of live music nights that independent venues across Hanley and Stoke pump out. Captain’s Bar being one of them. Follow their Instagram and I think you become just a little bit more hipster, in a good way. This is Off The Record’s first night and they are promising boundary breaking live acts. It’s a vinyl only set with a live pianist which feels like it’ll give a special and intimate vibe. It’s also FREE.

Want to head to any of these events with a friend? Share this with them.

Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire shines in BBC 2 show Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts. This is a MUST watch and paints an inspiring and hopeful picture of Stoke-on-Trent regeneration and food. (Watch here on BBC iPlayer)

Work begins on new Queen Elizabeth II statue for Newcastle-Under-Lyme backed by JCB and Capital&Centric with Staffordshire artist Andy Edwards. (Daily Focus)

First Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship aimed at Women created and to be delivered by Staffordshire consultancy. (Level 7 Women)
Staffordshire Film Office Opens. Staffordshire County Council are investing £300,000 to open Staffordshire Film Office putting Staffordshire on the map as a TV and Film location. (Staffordshire Gov)

Three Heritage buildings in Longton get £300,000 investment for restoration and repair. (BBC)

TOMORROW MORNING: Good News Spotlight 🔦 Andi Oliver’s Fabulous Feasts in Stoke 📺

Why this show represented Stoke so well, in your inbox tomorrow morning at 8am.

Food Highlight - FEAST STONE 🍔

Bringing Street Food to Stone since 2016, Feast Stone is back in May until September on the first Friday of every month.

Next date - May 3rd, 5pm - 9pm, Stone Cricket Club, Lichfield Road.

feaststone

A post shared by @feaststone

Food options can feel limited in Stoke and Staffs, so a load of vendors coming together to serve up delicious treats from across the Midlands is much needed and greatly appreciated. The instagram and website is a little mysterious, but I’m seeing photos of brownies, vegan food, fried chicken and a van that says “original punjabi flavours” and that’s enough to convince me that this will be decent.

It’s a nice summer location on the cricket pitch and looks both family friendly and “I want good food and then a few drinks in Stone with my mates”- friendly too.

PROPERTY 🏡

Bravo to whoever has renovated this 2 bedroom terrace in Hanley, it’s gorgeous. Given the spotlight on Portland Street, it’s worth a look at what you can buy in Stoke’s City Centre. See past Hanley’s smeared reputation and the properties are very compelling for creatives pursuing passions and wanting to keep costs low, plus first time buyers.

KNOT HAVING IT ❌

Bore off. More lazy journalism that decides to have a pop at some random towns and cities that the journalist has probably never visited. Stoke might be “underperforming” but if it is, at least have the decency to write ~1000 words on why. Knot having it.

Ok, I’m feeling energised. Made a few calls:

~~Jobs section.~~ Gone. This is a whole thing in itself, if I can’t do it really well, I’m not doing it. If 10 people email me asking to bring it back I will.
This Monday issue is getting too long. One section trimmed and I will now share longer spotlights as separate issues. You’ll still get no more than 2 emails a week.
I want to do a print version of The Knot, once a month with a roundup of all Good News, a couple of features and long list of things to do. Would you buy this? If 50 people say yes, I’m doing it.

I also want to create a referral scheme to say thank you to people who share The Knot with new readers. What could I give you to say thank you? A shout out on your birthday? A chance to say thanks to someone in the community publicly? Hit me up with any ideas.

Cheers,

James Routledge, Editor of The Knot.

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