031: Good News for Stoke & Staffordshire
Hey Knotters! We're getting £20 million to revamp all six towns, Bradley Wiggins broke his three-year cycling absence in Stafford, plus Lunar's Christmas menu is out!
Good News 🎉
🌇 Face Lift Alert: £20 Million for City Improvements. Major regeneration projects have been given the green light by the government and are poised to benefit each of the six towns, with a multi-million pound package to boost Tunstall, Longton and Stoke town centres. The projects also include the development of a new City Centre Masterplan for Hanley, an Advanced Green Skills Centre college department to train local people in construction and engineering jobs of the future at Stoke on Trent College’s Burslem Campus and a new leisure campus for Vale Park.
🏺 Valentine Clays Celebrates 45 Years in Business. Top notch local clay manufacturers Valentine Clays celebrated an important milestone by inviting famed potter and The Great Pottery Throw Down judge Keith Brymer Jones (he created the KBJ clay with them) to the festivities, which included the unveiling of a special limited-edition sapphire blue porcelain clay inspired by the 45th anniversary gemstone.
🏃The Times Are In… Potters Arf Results. Lloyd Biddell stormed through 13.1 miles of challenging Stoke terrain in an impressive one hour 10 minutes, while the first woman across the line was Emma Taylor from City of Stoke AC in one hour 20 (full results here). Wanna do it next year? Get a high-vis now it’s getting dark, download the Couch to 5k and Strava apps to track your runs and find your local running club!
🔥 Keep Warm this Winter. Worried about fuel bills? You’ve got until 18/10 to apply for the Staffordshire Warmer Homes Scheme, which offers energy-saving solutions including air source heat pumps, loft insulation, external wall insulation, cavity wall insulation, solar PV, and under-floor insulation. For more info and to apply, go here.
🚴 Sir Bradley Wiggins Cycles Round Stafford. The eight-time Olympic medallist hadn’t been cycling for three years following mental health struggles but got back in the saddle for a 50-mile ride-along with 80 amateur cyclists round Stafford. The event was organised by bike retailer Pau (Wiggins is a brand ambassador), which runs a free cycling academy for riders aged 13-18. Go visit the shop and cafe at Trentham.
🏆 Yum! TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Award for Lunar. Dining under the giant navy and silver moon installation at Lunar takes some beating, which is why we weren’t surprised to hear of its latest award. Last week, it was nominated for the Best Sunday Roast in The Good Food Guide, too. Christmas menu is out now and includes turkey schnitzel plus pork terrine and beef cheek. Get booking!
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon ⛅️17°(11°) Tue ☁️ 16°(10°) Wed ⛅️ 15° (8°) Thu ☁️ 12° (6°) Fri ⛅️ 11°(4°) Sat ⛅️ 11°(5°) Sun ⛅️ 12°(8°)
Sunrise 07/10 ☀️ 07:22 Sunset 07/10 🌅 18:30
Really Good News 🎉 Your favourite news from the last month
🐆 The Leopard Owner Speaks Out: Our ace reporter Hannah’s interview with property developer Danny Singh, who owns this historic Burslem pub, was one of our most-read stories ever! Expect more cutting edge journalism in the future 😉
🏵️ Three AA Rosettes for the Flintlock: lots of you were keen to see what this Cheddleton restaurant has to offer since scooping this coveted foodie award.
🎤 The Knot debuts first podcast… with MARA Run Club founder George Bettany.
Unsung Heroes ⬇️
🏃♀️ Dave Juggins. The 75 year old gold medal duathlete who can run a 5km in 21 minutes. A real running inspiration.
👗 Anya Parker James. Read about the designer that defied the odds and built a career in fashion in Fulford.
The Knot Podcast 🎤 (for the second week running in case you missed it!)
🏺Good Vibes Only: A Word from Helen, Writer at The Knot
We love to see spaces that champion local artisans and new creative department store pop-up, Keep it Local, does just that. Last week, it debuted at the site of the former Next store in the Potteries shopping centre, with more than 200 local businesses and local charities represented. PS: there are themed events to look forward to every week: #MusicMonday for vinyl sales, #CharityTuesday highlights local charities, #FoodieFridays showcases local culinary talent and there’s #Meetthemaker sessions where you can say hi to local artisans. Catch it ‘til Xmas Eve.
How are you finding The Knot? It’d be ace to get your feedback! Ping me a message on @hchdalley on Instagram. The Knot has been created for Stoke and Staffs residents, and we want to make it relevant to you!