🥨 A word from Helen, editor/writer at The Knot
After watching his father struggle with Alzheimer’s in a care home and acknowledging the high costs that force families to sell their homes, one of Andy Burnham’s big ambitions is to reform our broken social care system. He accelerated Whitehall troubleshooter Baroness Louise Casey's review, which identifies the current failures of adult social care, to report by summer 2027 and plans to put the full blueprint into Labour’s next general election manifesto.
The PM’s focus on social care is being born out locally, with residents, carers and community organisations invited to help shape the future of adult social care through an engagement programme called the Big City Conversation, which will give people who access care and support services, unpaid carers, families, and residents to contribute ideas about how services should be delivered in the future.
Those taking part will be asked to complete an online questionnaire and take part in community conversations and engagement events taking place across the city over the coming months.
Cllr Lynn Watkins, cabinet member for adult social care and all age commissioning at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said it is keen to support people to maintain their independence and stay connected to their communities. More details on the upcoming programme of engagement events will be published on the council's website and social media channels.
The social care problem has a big impact on our hospitals, as a lack of community care packages and care home beds traps patients in hospital while gridlocked A&E’s tie up ambulances outside. Don’t miss our story on Royal Stoke’s ambulance delays this Wednesday, which includes comment from Stoke South MP Allison Gardner, who has raised this issue in Parliament.
Good News 🎉
👵 Speak up on social care reform. Many of us have been touched by adult social care at some point, usually due to a partner or parent needing to go into a nursing home and the financial worries that brings, with most needing to sell their homes to pay for the cost of the care. If you’ve got an opinion on how the system can improve, the council wants to hear from you. Click on the online survey here.
🏋️♀️ THE KNOT’S PERSON OF THE WEEK – Hasan Amjad 🏋️♀️
A computer science student from Keele who took up powerlifting after watching videos of strongman Eddie Hall recently won two gold medals at the 2026 Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships in Canada. Hasan Amjad represented England in the under-105kg junior men’s equipped full-power
event, covering the squat, bench press and deadlift, and the equipped bench press-only event. Hasan began going to the gym when he was 17, and later met competitive powerlifter and strength coach Ben Johnson at his local gym, who encouraged him to compete. He’s been awarded a Keele University sports scholarship for the 2026/27 academic year. His next ambition is to represent Team GB in 2027, while completing his degree at Keele. Go for it, we say!
With two gold medals, Hasan now hopes to represent Team GB in 2027
♻️ Kid’s recycling artwork on city bin wagon. Artwork by a pupil from St Luke’s School is helping to spread an important recycling message across the city after their winning design has been displayed on a Stoke-on-Trent City Council refuse collection vehicle after they won a competition held at Potters Patch. The competition formed part of a community open day at the growing space on Bucknall New Road, Hanley. The project, which is supported by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and delivered in partnership with Groundwork, invited children to design artwork promoting recycling and caring for the environment.
The student’s artwork is designed to raise awareness about recycling
🪦 War memorial for Burslem. A permanent memorial to more than 1,600 people from Burslem who lost their lives in war is finally to be built after work on it first began more than a century ago. £45,000 from the Pride in Place programme has been allocated towards designing and building the memorial. MP David Williams said, “This belongs first to a group of volunteers who have spent 16 years tracing every name, every family and every story.” The volunteers include former service personnel, researchers, former Royal Doulton workers, and families of the fallen.
🏫 Stoke Schools selected for Enrichment Programme. Three schools in Stoke-on-Trent Central will take part in a national programme aimed at expanding opportunities for young people through sport, culture, volunteering and other enriching activities. Manor Abbey School, Discovery Academy and St Peter’s C of E Academy will receive support from the Youth Sport Trust and its partners to develop stronger partnerships with local sports clubs, charities, community groups and cultural organisations. Work with participating schools will begin in January 2027 and continue until March 2029.
🎭 Our Top Five Don’t-Miss Events this Week. Celebrate Black History Month at the Friday Twilight - Black History Twilight Showcase Celebration (06/11, 6pm-9.30pm), which will embrace the theme Honouring Our Community. The evening will give special recognition to individuals whose lives and contributions have helped shape Staffordshire while celebrating the art, music and food of people of African and Caribbean descent; admission free.
Classically Kate Bush will champion the music of the 80s icon (08/11, 7.30pm) with a live band and an 18-piece orchestra at the Victoria Hall; tickets from £38.76. Get ready to be transported to a magical Christmas Eve inside a traditional Irish pub with Christmas in Ireland at the Regent, with songs including Dirty Old Town and, naturally, Fairytale of New York (13/11, 7.30pm); tickets from £27.50.
Let’s end with a couple of bonfire night events like the Trentham Rugby Club (01/11; gates open 5.30pm, fireworks 7.30pm); tickets £5 and there’s a kid’s Halloween fancy dress competition. Over in Fenton, the Lions Club (05/11) annual display also features Stanworth’s funfair and food trucks; tickets £12 each, family ticket £40; kids age 5 and under go free.
🥨 Most popular stories from the last week on The Knot
🏴 What does Staffordshire Patriots stand for?: The new group says it wants to make our streets safer. What does it really stand for and who is its leader in Stoke?
🛍️ Middleport Artisan market is back: It’s 28 & 29/11, 10-4pm; more info here
🤵🏾♀️ Finding the first Black Britons: This event on 04/11 also got a lot of interest
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon 🌧️ 16° (13°) Tue 🌧️ 14° (7°) Wed ☁️ 14° (7°) Thu 🌫️ 13° (9°) Fri 🌧️ 13° (8°)
Sat 🌧️ 12° (5°) Sun 🌧️ 11° (5°).
Sunrise 26/10: 06.54 ☀️ Sunset 26/10: 16.50 🌅
Thanks for highlighting the local engagement plan, Helen. This may not have come to my attention otherwise, which is exactly why proper local journalism is so crucial. It is such an important topic - anyone who has any experience of the system will know that it simply doesn't work (notwithstanding the often heroic efforts of underpaid care and NHS staff) nor is it fair. So a really important conversation to contribute to.
Seeing how many ambulances get ‘tied up,’ not being able to get patients to the right place at North Staffs hospital is very concerning- in no way do I wish to criticise the NHS staff, who probably feel equally frustrated. I feel that this situation would improve, if social care was addressed- too many patients aren’t able to leave hospital because there is no adequate provision for them. I think Andy Burnham’s plan to accelerate the commission and to ask questions of people involved, is a good one. It’s a tricky and thorny issue that has been ‘passed over’ by successive governments.