Keele Uni Arrives on Newcastle High Street
Plus local painter Rob Pointon completes January painting challenge, opportunities for young talent with Starbots Creative and new cafe set to open in Burslem Park
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Keele Goes to Town. A university in the heart of Newcastle, Keele in Town is a mixed-use facility featuring working and meeting spaces for Staffordshire businesses and non-profits, with areas for Keele students and staff to get together to study, and connect with the community. Housed in an empty 19th century building, it aims to drive productivity and boost skill levels in the area, with entry-level adult courses also offered and free legal advice for those who can’t afford it. Check out the video here, or visit in person Mon-Fri, 12pm-4pm.
Our campus-based university now has a place on the high street…
☕️New Cafe for Burslem Park. Next time you’re feeling peckish out for stroll in Burslem, you can once again pop into the Pavilion Tea Room, now under new ownership and set to open on 15/02. Look out for a Mother’s Day afternoon tea, Easter Egg hunt and centenary celebrations. The new cafe will also be home to the Burslem Community Hub, with plans for youth activities, toddler groups and Knit and Natter sessions. It’ll be open Wednesday-Sunday, 9am-4pm.
👩💻 Start a Career in the Creative Industry. There’s no need to move to London, Manchester or Birmingham if you want a job in graphic design, animation, content creation, copywriting, website development and advertising. To celebrate its 15th anniversary, Newcastle-based marketing agency Starbots Creative has pledged to offer 15 local people some great opportunities, including work placements, mentoring, local partnerships and workshops to help people in their careers. Email managing director Kate Cooper if you’re up for it.
Could you join the team at Starbots Creative? 🚧 Support a Bid to Upgrade the A50 & A500..If you’re a small business that relies on these two roads, then Midlands Connect wants to hear from you, as it hopes to encourage the government to invest in proposals for highway improvements to the A50/A500 corridor. Email them to share your views.
📚 Double Win for Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group. Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group (NSCG) recently earned a Highly Commended in the Web Development category.at the College Marketing Network FE First Awards. The NSCG Marketing Team also secured the Gold Award in the Prospectus category: check out the latest one here. The group has seen an uptick in applications during the 2023/24 academic year thanks to these changes.
🎨 Capturing Stoke on Canvas. While we were trying to stick to our new year’s resolutions, renowned Stoke-based plein air artist Rob Pointon was busy taking part in the Strada Easel January Challenge, painting a picture every day last month. He loves painting steep roads round the city and we think he does it really well. Go to the link in his Instagram bio to view all 31 works, all done in oils. One of our faves is this one of Longport (above), with car headlights illuminating the car and the road and a bottle kiln and church spire in the background. Very Stoke!
Longport in the snow, captured by Rob Pointon
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We’re finally into February and looking forward to visiting Newcastle to check out Keele in Town, the new teaching, learning and community space on Ironmarket. The project was part funded by money from the Newcastle Town Deal, which aims to improve residents’ quality of life and boost economic regeneration.
Enabling Keele students and staff to work flexibly, the facility will also be a hub for creative events like art exhibitions. People and businesses can access free legal advice from Keele’s Legal Advice Clinics, while small groups and businesses can meet and stage presentations, and a cafe is set to open at the facility.
With the £30 million redevelopment of the nearby Ryecroft site, Astley Place and Midway – which combines new homes and a retail space – all gathering pace, the future is looking peachy for Newcastle.
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon ⛅️ 10° (7°) Tue ☁️ 10° (1°) Wed ⛅️ 7° (2°) Thu ⛅️ 6° (-1°) Fri ⛅️ 5° (-1°)
Sat ☁️ 5° (-2°) Sun ☁️ 5° (-1°).
Sunrise 03/02 ☀️07:49 Sunset 03/02 🌅 16:57
Fabulous news....