Targeted activity to reduce anti-social behaviour and crime across Stoke and Staffs

Plus new planning application for the Leopard Hotel, Staffordshire Chambers Business Awards winners announced, and book for bottle oven skyline felting at Spode (31/07)

Jul 13, 2026

Stoke-on-Trent City Council joined forces with Staffordshire Police to carry out targeted activity in our town centres across the city. Pic: Magnific

🥨 A word from Helen, editor/writer at The Knot

Hi, and welcome to The Knot's weekly round-up of feel-good news from across Stoke and Staffs to brighten up your Monday!

Stoke-on-Trent City Council joined forces with Staffordshire Police and local partners last week to carry out targeted activity in our town centres across the city. The four Days of Action looked to reduce anti-social behaviour and crime as well as engaging with residents, providing reassurance, and explaining the support available to people experiencing problems in their neighbourhoods.

Among the activities, the ASB Team and police delivered engagement events, including use of the mobile police station and community surgeries so residents could raise concerns directly with officers while providing education on how to report ASB related incidents. Teams also visited rough sleeping encampments, with support provided to individuals before sites were cleared and cleaned.

Councillor Duncan Walker, cabinet member for Safe and Resilient Communities and Housing, said: “We encourage residents to speak up when issues are affecting their quality of life, as early conversations and timely support can often help prevent concerns from escalating.”

Good News 🎉

👮‍♀️ Targeting Crime. Stoke-on-Trent City Council latest initiative to address crime is part of ongoing work that aims to make communities safer and more welcoming for residents and visitors alike. Four days of action were held at the beginning of the month to reduce anti-social behaviour and crime as well as engaging with residents, providing reassurance and explaining the support available to people experiencing problems in their neighbourhoods. Residents can find examples of anti-social behaviour, along with advice and guidance here.

🩺 THE KNOT’S PERSON OF THE WEEK – Dr Sarveson Rajkumar 🩺

Our very own UHNM is now one of only five NHS Trusts in the UK offering a pioneering minimally invasive procedure to help patients with severe swallowing difficulties. Since the service launched at the Royal Stoke University Hospital in December 2025, eight patients have successfully undergone the procedure. It’s Dr Sarveson Rajkumar, consultant gastroenterologist and endoscopist, who is leading this amazing initiative. He says many of the patients the trust has worked with have experienced severe swallowing difficulties and may struggle to eat and drink. He added: “We’ve made an excellent start with positive outcomes from our first patients. As the service grows we hope to increase capacity and in time develop UHNM as a regional centre for this specialist procedure.”

Dr Sarveson Rajkumar is helping to pioneer a new treatment at the Royal Stoke for patients with swallowing difficulties

🌆 Longton Town of Culture Bid Makes History. Longton’s campaign to become the UK’s first Town of Culture is set to become part of history, with its official bid postcard joining the National Museums Liverpool collection. The postcards have also been brought together on an interactive online map, so people can explore the towns taking part in the competition and discover the stories behind their bids. Longton’s colourful design captures the landmarks, businesses and traditions that reflect its identity and ambition. The artwork celebrates some of Longton’s landmarks and culture, with references to Walker’s Nonsuch toffee, the Longton Pig Walk, and Jollees, the live music venue that hosted the World Professional Darts Championship between 1979 and 1985.

Longton’s bid is being officially sponsored by master potter – and host of *The Great Pottery Throw Down* Keith Brymer Jones and actor Toby Jones OBE

🐆 Leopard Hotel Owners Under Pressure to Act. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is frustrated by the lack of progress being made to restore the former Leopard Hotel in Burslem, stating it expects to see “meaningful progress” and ”will not hesitate to use enforcement powers where necessary” with the current owners (see our interview with owner Danny Singh, who spoke to us about the building being badly damaged by a fire back in 2022, here). This has led to a new planning application being submitted for the former Grade II-listed hotel, which hosted the first meeting between Josiah Wedgwood, Thomas Bentley, Erasmus Darwin and James Brindley, and led to the construction of the Trent and Mersey Canal.

🏆 Who Won at Staffs Chamber Business Awards? Last week, engineering and manufacturing firm The HEX Group was crowned Business of the Year at the awards, with another engineering company, Drayton Beaumont, crowned best Medium/Large Business, while Aston Marina won best Small Business. AMB Insurance and Midlands Air Ambulance both triumphed in the Responsible Business award, while Trentham’s head of events and marketing, Kerrie Pope, scooped Ambassador of the Year. You can check out all the winners here.

Engineering firm The Hex Group scooped Business of the Year at the Staffs Chamber of Commerce Business awards last week

😃 Our Top Five Don’t-Miss Events this Week. Got any plans for the August Bank Holiday yet? Get along to The Big Feast the free bank holiday weekender (28/08 & 29/08) in Hanley town centre. Expect physical theatre, circus and a new Sensasian zone celebrating South Asian arts and culture.

Love history? There’s a Viking Re-enactment at Stafford Castle (15/08 & 16/08), with aggressive battle re-enactments, authentic living-history encampments, and ancient trade craft displays; admission free; children’s Viking Longboat workshop £5. Feeling crafty? Book onto the Bottle Oven Skyline Needle Felting, (31/08, Spode Museum) where you can pay homage to our heritage by learning to needle-felt the city’s iconic bottle oven architecture.

Into September, there’s the Staffordshire Vegan Festival at The Verve (27/09, 10.30am-4.30pm), where you can sample plant-based street food from around the globe and explore sustainable lifestyle brands; tickets £5, VIP £15. If you haven’t visited yet, the Staffy Trail, a collection of heritage and art trails in and around Stoke-on-Trent, Stafford and Tamworth town centres, is on until 19/07.

🥨 Most popular stories from the last week on The Knot

🗞️ Stoke Libraries Launch Free Digital Newspaper Service: Library members can access up to six newspapers daily, including The Sentinel, The Guardian & Metro
🏗️ Jonathan Gullis Faces Reform Backlash Over Local Plan: It has since passed, but not without plenty of controversy and splits within the party…
🌈 Community Speaks out on Pride Display Removal: Still getting lots of reads

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