£2.8 million to Help Disadvantaged and Vulnerable Adults in Stoke-on-Trent
Plus the Best Western in Hanley goes up for sale, new initiative for young entrepreneurs, helpful bears support children's wellbeing, and new clothing shop opens at Trentham
Good News 🎉
👩👦Helping People Get Back on Track. Sometimes, life gets tough and we need a helping hand. With a vision to stabilise and improve the life situation of adults who face multiple disadvantages, the £2.8 million will go towards funding the Changing Futures 2026-2029 programme, which links up support across areas such as housing, health, employment and drug misuse. The cash will directly benefit adults in the city experiencing multiple disadvantages, overlapping challenges like homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse and contact with the criminal justice system.
👩🦰 THE KNOT’S PERSON OF THE WEEK – Emily Labhart 👩🦰
The new director of Appetite is a cultural producer with more than 12 years of experience creating inclusive, community-rooted arts programmes. Emily’s work has a strong focus on co-creation and access, and she’s previously worked on Birmingham International Dance Festival and Birmingham Weekender. Appetite recently presented its Light Up Winter series of events in Middleport, Hanley and Newcastle, which drew thousands out into their communities across five evenings in January, February and March with light and sound installations. Its annual summer festival The Big Feast returns to Hanley on 28/08 and 29/08.
Meet the new director of Appetite, Emily Labhart: she’'ll be overseeing The Big Feast when it returns to Hanley on 28/08 and 29/08
🧸 Helpful Bears Support Wellbeing in Staffs Libraries. Every council‑managed library, including Biddulph, Stone, Kidsgrove and Newcastle, now has its own Helpful Bear, who wears a special backpack where children can write down their worries and tuck them safely inside. This gentle activity gives children a simple, private way to express how they feel, reinforcing the campaign’s core message of ‘Every hero worries.’ The cuddly toy and associated workbooks have already been used in schools to help children overcome barriers to learning and boost school attendance. There’s more information on the initiative here.
🏨 Hanley Hotel up for Sale. Last branded as The Best Western Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Hotel, this historic railway property on Trinity Street, which was built in 1900, is now up for sale, with an asking price of over £3.75 million. We’re really hoping the right developer gets their hands on it, as a cool new hotel in Hanley would be just the ticket. The 135-bedroom venue has a restaurant and two bars, while leisure facilities include an indoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and gym. The hotel also has 11 meeting and conference rooms plus parking for up to 150 vehicles on a plot of approximately 1.6 acres. Here’s hoping!
👔 Launch It Labs Lands in Stoke. Calling all Stokie entrepreneurs aged 18-30! For the first time ever beyond London, Launch It is bringing its flagship start-up support programme, Launch It Labs, to our city. Launching this April, the initiative is a fully funded, high-impact programme designed to equip early-stage entrepreneurs with the skills, confidence, and momentum needed to succeed in business. There’s a Welcome & Info Session (Online) on 20/04 and a two-day Intensive Bootcamp & Pitch Day (23/04-24/04), which will cover essential business fundamentals and culminate in a live pitch opportunity. Participants will compete for a share of a £3,000 grant pot. Apply here and get more info here.
👗 New Clothing Store for Trentham. Just in time to rejuvenate your Spring/Summer wardrobe, an independent women’s clothing boutique, White Ribbon, will open at Trentham over the Easter weekend. We’re already coveting new arrivals like this Bromley net skirt and these cute cow print Mary Jane flats. With stores in Northwich, Sandbach and Nantwich, its Nantwich shop has previously featured on The Real Housewives of Cheshire. Where to find? It will be located in a unit opposite the visitor centre previously occupied by L’Occitane.
🥨 A word from Helen, editor/writer at The Knot
Stoke-on-Trent is one of 18 areas across the country—alongside Nottingham, Birmingham and Blackpool—selected to receive funding for phase two of the Changing Futures programme, due to launch in April 2026. .
People facing multiple disadvantages are often denied the support they need. They may be labelled “too high risk” to engage or dismissed as “hard to reach”, while the extreme poverty and complex challenges they experience are sometimes mischaracterised as ‘lifestyle choices’.
As Councillor Lynn Watkins says when adults struggle to access coordinated support from local services, their situations can quickly deteriorate, leading to increased risks of rough sleeping, poor health, exploitation, and reoffending.
Stoke-on-Trent is one of 18 locations in the country – along with Nottingham, Birmingham and Blackpool – that have been awarded funding for the Changing Futures programme, which aims to help disadvantaged and vulnerable adults improve their life chances. With phase two due to launch in April 2026, the initiative aims to improve life chances for disadvantaged and vulnerable adults through tailored, holistic support shaped around individual needs and priorities. Early results from the programme are encouraging. After one year, the proportion of participants experiencing rough sleeping fell from 25% to 15%, while arrests decreased from 26% to 19%.
Delivery of the programme will see the council’s adult social care team working in partnership with health services, housing associations, police, criminal justice agencies, and the voluntary and community sector. This includes Expert Citizens, a local community interest company led by people with lived experience of multiple disadvantage, offering expertise in areas such as criminal justice, benefits advice, and drug and alcohol support.
Really Good News 🎉 Your favourite news from the last week
👨🍳 Waving the Flag for Fine Dining in Stoke: Read our restaurant review/interview with Cris Cohen (and sample his wares at the Stone Food & Drink Festival on 08/05-10/05)
🐷 Longton Carnival & Pig Walk Parade is Back! It’s 26/04, 10am-4pm…
🧸 Staffs and Stoke Tourism Awards: Most clickable? Thyme Kitchen in Lichfield, which won the Casual Dining Award. We’ve heard the Persian eggs are good
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon 🌦️ 11° (5°) Tue 🌧️ 13° (4°) Wed 🌦️ 8° (2°) Thu ☁️ 9° (2°) Fri 🌧️ 9° (4°)
Sat 🌧️ 9° (3°) Sun 🌧️ 11° (4°).
Sunrise 30/03: 06.48 ☀️ Sunset 30/03: 19.39 🌅
The Changing Futures seems like a really good initiative- let’s hope that it helps future vulnerable people as well as existing ones.