Sign up for Free and Low-Cost Community Learning Courses Across Staffordshire
Plus cafe and licensed bar for the Potteries Museum, more cash to support cyclists and walkers in the city, and Staffs' film office showcases police documentary shot in the county
Today, The Knot is brought to you by Hanley Economic Building Society, which offers mortgages, savings accounts including ISAs, insurance, and more
Good News 🎉
📚 Learn Something New. Staffs residents can now sign up to a new programme of community learning courses. Delivered by Staffordshire County Council’s Community Learning Service, they offer adults aged 19 and over the chance to learn new skills, build confidence and improve wellbeing, with most free or with a minimal fee. Options include digital skills, wellbeing and nature‑based learning, family learning, creativity, English and maths, and practical life skills. Courses are delivered online and in person at community venues across the county. Fancy enriching your knowledge? Check out what’s on offer here. We like the sound of The Wild Reboot (forest bathing for families – perfect for a spot of stress release) and Art for Wellbeing, Progress with Pastels (sounds super mindful and relaxing). Both of these courses are also free – cool or what?
👩💼THE KNOT’S PERSON OF THE WEEK – Nicky Twemlow 👩💼
YMCA North Staffordshire has appointed Nicky Twemlow as its new CEO and is poised to lead the charity into a new chapter focused on sustainable growth, innovation, and deepening its impact across the communities it serves. Nicky took over this month and succeeds Daniel Flynn, who stepped down after 23 years. During his tenure, the charity has extended its reach to support thousands of young people and families through housing, education, health and wellbeing initiatives, and youth development programmes. Want to get involved with the YMCA? Make a donation to become a RoomSponsor, help out at events including the monthly community meal, or become a Friend of the Pantry to help stamp out food poverty.
👨🌾 Rent to Own with The Hanley. Hanley Economic’s Rent to Own mortgage continues to make a difference to aspiring homeowners, offering a route onto the property ladder for those struggling to save a deposit. Originally launched within the ST postcode area, the product has now been rolled out nationwide following a successful pilot. The scheme enables eligible applicants with 12 months of full, on‑time rental payments to secure a home with a 100% mortgage and no upfront deposit, borrowing up to £350,000 on a five‑year fixed rate.
🚴 More Cash for Cyclists and Walkers. In a bid to improve safety and reduce congestion, a further £12 million of government funding is being invested in the city’s walking and cycling routes. The council is also expanding School Streets schemes, introducing safer crossings and junction improvements, and providing extra support for training programmes such as Bikeability. The boost is part of an £105 million transport investment aimed at delivering better roads and safer walking and cycling routes. For more details, go here.
🍷 Cafe and Licensed Bar for Potteries Museum. Now there’s a new place to hang out up Hanley, as The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery is set to open a licensed cafe bar as part of its £5 million transformation. The new PMAG Café Bar will be located in the foyer and designed to support events and evening activity, with the ability to operate independently when the rest of the museum is closed. Its position next to the museum’s Forum Theatre will allow it to function as a lobby bar during events. We’ve spied jacket potatoes, paninis, bloomer sandwiches, and homemade soup on the proposed menu. Yum.
👮♀️ New Police Documentary Shot in Staffs Debuts on Channel 5. Staffordshire’s film office, Screen Staffordshire, premiered the first episode of a police documentary, Motorway Cops, which was shot in the county this month. Hosted in partnership with Purple Productions, Objective Media Group and the Royal Television Society Midlands, it featured episode one of the 10th series of the show, shot with Staffordshire Police between September and December 2025. Tune in to check out the series today (13/04) on Channel 5.
🥨 A word from Helen, editor/writer at The Knot
During the pandemic, journaling helped me navigate some particularly stressful times. It made me wonder whether writing could support others too, so I signed up for an online journal therapy course for just £27. Fastforward six years later, and I’ve just qualified as a counsellor and am currently considering an MSc. That experience is why I’m such a strong advocate for trying something new, however small it might seem at the time, as you never know where it might lead. It’s exactly what makes Staffs County Council’s newly released community learning courses so valuable.
If you’re feeling nervous about signing up, don’t fret. The Staffordshire Community Learning Service works with local partners to ensure courses are welcoming, flexible, and designed to support people back into learning, whether you’re looking to boost employment prospects, try something new, or boost your confidence. Delivery partners include Port Vale FC Foundation, which offers Baby First Aid Awareness; Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group, which has everything from professional business courses to exercise and fitness, and The WELLIES Project, which specialises in therapeutic learning activities with animals, plants, creativity, and the countryside for those recovering from mental ill health.
So, which course might you choose—and why? Let us know in the comments!
Really Good News 🎉 Your favourite news from the last week
🤡 Celebrate World Circus Day at the Philip Astley Centre: It’s on 18/04…
🏥 Stoke’s new Community Diagnostic Centre: it’ll be open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week at the old Sainsbury’s site in Hanley: more info here
🚶♀️Girls Who Walk Stoke: It’s an inclusive group with regular walks – join them!
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon 🌧️ 11° (2°) Tue 🌦️ 14° (7°) Wed 🌦️ 15° (8°) Thu 🌦️ 15° (8°) Fri 🌧️ 16° (9°)
Sat 🌧️ 16° (7°) Sun 🌧️ 11° (5°).
Sunrise 13/04: 06.15 ☀️ Sunset 13/04: 20.04 🌅