A New Lease of Life for Stoke's High Street
Plus meet The Knot's first-ever Person of the Week, Titanic expands range of craft cans, sheltered accommodation for Chell Heath and more trees for Cannock Chase…
Good News 🎉 Want local business news? Visit Daily Focus
Today, The Knot is brought to you by Titanic Brewery. Celebrating its 40th birthday this year, the Burslem Brewery makes lagers, pale ales, IPAs, stouts and even gin…
🌇 It’s all Go in Stoke. Online shopping has meant for quieter town centres, but the Stoke High Street Accelerator pilot has given the town a boost, with 12 projects receiving funding so far for mini festivals, litter picks, food festivals and creative workshops. Funded by the Department of Levelling Up Housing and Communities, £237,000 has been awarded to Stoke Town through Stoke-on-Trent City Council for 2024/25. As part of the pilot, B Arts has been running its Saturday Series events near Stoke Library, where locals have taken part in creative workshops. Loads coming up at B Arts’ space on Hartshill Road, too.
🎓👨🏫 THE KNOT’S PERSON OF The WEEK – Professor Mark Omerod 🎓👨🏫
Last week, we told you about Keele’s Elaine Hay, who got her MBE from Prince William. This week, it’s the turn of Keele’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Mark Omerod, who got an OBE medal from Prince Charles (alongside Sir Stephen Fry) for services to education and sustainability. Mark’s research interests centre around environmentally-friendly chemical processes, sustainable materials chemistry and clean technologies. He also plays a key role in working with Keele’s partner colleges, including the new Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Institute of Technology, due to open in 2025. PS: want to nominate your person of the Week for the Knot? Email us!
🏠 Doors Set to Open at Over 55’s Housing Complex in Chell Heath. The largest sheltered housing scheme delivered by Stoke-on-Trent City Council over the last five years, Chatterley Court is set to open later this year as part of the city’s centenary celebrations. The over 55s facility boasts 113 one- and two-bed apartments and a reception lounge, resident’s lounge, dining room and gardens. The scheme will have staff on site Monday to Friday to help with individual residents’ needs while each apartment features call alarm systems and easy access bathrooms. Want to find out more? Drop them an email.
🍺 Sup Up! Titanic Expands its Range of Craft Cans. For 40 years, Titanic Brewery has been shipping its award-winning beers across the UK from its Burslem brewery. Known for its flagship ale, Plum Porter, Titanic is the largest brewer of stouts and porters in England – but it also offers a range of thirst-quenching pale beers. Just in time for the warmer weather, it’s launched two new additions to its range of craft cans. The easy drinking Raspberry Pale has been
re-released in bigger 440ml cans, with fruity raspberry flavours bouncing off the hops. Prefer something crisp? Try Titanic’s house lager, Two:20, a traditional German Helles. Raspberry Pale and Two:20 Lager are now both available (alongside award-winning cans of their nitrogen infused True Stout) at the website, the brewery shop in Burslem, or from any of its pubs or bod cafe bars.
Stock up on Titanic craft cans online, at the brewery shop, pubs or bod cafes
👩🦽Volunteers Get Planting at Cannock Chase. To support Staffordshire County Council’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2025, countryside rangers and volunteers teamed up to plant more than 40 oak trees at Brocton Coppice on Cannock Chase. They also got busy planting rowan, crab apple and holly saplings. Interested in volunteering at our country parks? More info here.
🥣 Ex Employees of Royal Stafford get Jobs with Cornishware. Sixteen former employees from Royal Stafford have been taken on by the firm’s new owner, Cornishware, which is renowned for its distinctive striped crockery. After acquiring all the machinery owned by Royal Stafford, Somerset-based Cornishware is continuing to manufacture biscuitware in Burslem. In the next 12 months, it hopes to relocate to a newer, purpose-built unit in Stoke. Cornishware’s managing director, Charles Rikards, told Daily Focus that the firm has a long-term commitment to the city. “Stoke-on-Trent is the heart of British ceramics with access to highly-skilled workers. We need to be there.”
Really Good News 🎉 Your favourite news from the last week
📢 TedEx Speakers Unveiled for Uni of Staffs: Explorer Levison Wood is headlining!
🧪 A Science Fair for All Ages: It’s happening at the Glebe on 04/05…
📅 The Knot Life: did you know you can list your events for free at The Knot Life? More and more readers are doing it - get yours on too!
Unsung Heroes ⬇️
🏃♀️ Dave Juggins. The 75 year old gold medal duathlete can run a 5km in 21 minutes.
👗 Anya Parker James. Read about the designer that built a fashion career here.
👨🎨 Ian Parker: Mouth painter Ian has illustrated a kid’s book and is a full-time artist.
👩⚕️ Ruth Chambers: The retired GP won an OBE for improving health outcomes.
🥨 Good Vibes Only: A Word from Helen, Writer at The Knot
Brighter nights are here… yep, the clocks have finally gone forward so Happy British summertime, Knotters. While we know people’s shopping habits have changed (Amazon has a lot to answer for), it’s heartening to see more activity return to Stoke’s high street, which has been spearheaded by the excellent B Arts’ Saturday series. Since October, the events have explored different ways of using the space and encouraged people to spend time in Stoke. So far, it’s held an alternative Harvest festival that put a twist on traditional games, Covent Garden Stoke Style (with living Clarice Cliff Statue) and this month’s lantern festival.
Since the events started up six months ago, around 1,000 people have joined in, who then often choose to spend the day in town, said event producer Rebecca Frankenberg. “Feedback from the Indoor Market is that they do get busier when the event is on, which is fantastic as we’re trying to encourage more people to explore the whole town and what it has to offer,” she added.
B Art’s next Saturday Series is on 19/04. Get yourself down to Stoke for then!
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon ⛅️ 17° (5°) Tue ☀️ 17° (4°) Wed ☀️ 18° (4°) Thu ☀️ 19° (5°) Fri ⛅️ 14° (3°)
Sat ⛅️ 13° (3°) Sun ⛅️ 15° (4°).
Sunrise 31/03 ☀️06:45 Sunset 31/03 🌅 19:42
