🥨 A word from Helen, editor/writer at The Knot
Hi, how are you? Welcome to The Knot’s weekly round-up of positive news from across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire – here to brighten your Monday.
I’m still recovering from my 15-mile walk around Stoke’s remaining 47 bottle ovens, which began at Middleport, went through Hanley, Stoke, and Etruria and ended up at Longton, where you’ll find the biggest cluster of them (around 20). The walk was organised by Phil Johnson, who is raising funds for a mural to celebrate 60 years of dance culture (donate here if you’re able) outside the Victoria Lounge Bar in Hanley.
Along the way, we bumped into people taking part in Potters Pursuit, a local city-wide mission that successfully raised funds for the No Cold For The Old pensioner charity.
We all moan about Stoke, and even at The Knot, it can be difficult to keep our positivity levels up. But recently, we’ve been noticing things. Fewer potholes on the drive to work, and roads being resurfaced and repainted. A real community vibe in Hanley on the weekend for street art festival City Centre Art Jam. Over at the park – which recently retained its Green Flag status, along with Burslem Park – the Pavilion has reopened, while a crackdown to limit the number of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) across the city has also been proposed.
There’s still much to be done, we know: unemployment remains high, and there’s not enough affordable housing for starters. Nevertheless, there remains a feeling that things just might be looking up.
We hope you enjoy your week, and look out for our feature on our walk round the city’s bottle ovens next week.
Good News 🎉
🥰 Progress is being made. A new report shows how Stoke-on-Trent City Council is delivering on the things that matter to residents – and helping to build a better city. The ‘state of the city’ report shows how the council and its partners are progressing against key priorities, including securing £105 million from the government to improve transport network, and helping more than 500 people into work through the JET employability programme. Infant mortality rates and adult obesity rates have both fallen since 2023, while crime and anti-social behaviour is down by nearly 25% from 14.1 cases per 1,000 population to 10.6 cases.
👨🏻 THE KNOT’S PERSON OF THE WEEK – Patrick Shanahan 👨🏻
Son of PVFC owner Carol, Patrick has been appointed chair to head up the new Bradeley, Chell Heath and Fegg Hayes Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board, where he will help shape how up to £20 million of government funding is invested in the area. One of Patrick's key roles has been his work on the Vale Park Community Campus project, and he’s also been heavily involved in the creation of the Bradeley Football Development Centre. He will oversee a board that brings together residents, businesses, community groups, and local partners who, together, will decide the best way to spend the cash.
♻️ Recycling set to become simpler. If, like us, you find it difficult to keep on top of all the different recycling bins, then you’ll welcome the news that Stoke-on-Trent City Council is set to introduce single-stream recycling, meaning all recyclable waste, such as paper, plastic, and cans, can be put in one blue bin. There’s no timeline just yet, just an assurance it will be happening “soon.”
🏡 More than £600k extra for affordable homes in Tunstall. Plans to inject extra investment to deliver 14 one-bedroom affordable apartments on a town centre brownfield site are set for approval. Councillors are being asked to approve an updated total scheme cost of £3.04 million for the development of the former Lily Gertrude Simister Court in Tunstall. The former site, on Wesley Street, has already been cleared following demolition of the previous building, and planning permission has been granted for the redevelopment.
🏞️ New businesses for Hanley Park. The historic pavilion welcomed an education project and a new kiosk to the park last weekend. Tutorage CIC is a community interest company that will run the cafe, supporting people who do not fit the traditional education system to find a different path, learn, gain qualifications, develop new skills, volunteer and meet new people. A new kiosk has also opened inside the Pavilion selling children’s toys and snacks.
😃 Our Top Five Don’t-Miss Events this Week. The inaugural Stoke Book Festival (03-10/10) will support the city's ongoing efforts to tackle literacy poverty. It will feature local author talks, interactive workshops, school events, and family activities. Full programme details are coming later this month.
The Three Counties Open Art Exhibition is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and opened last weekend; it’s on until 29/08 at Keele University, and is open Tue-Sat, 11am-3pm; entry is free. Love a dance? Barlaston Hall is opening its doors for ‘A Night to Remember’ with its Strictly Knot Dancing fundraiser (12/09, 6.30pm-late), where guests can explore the Grade-I listed hall and its fabulous grounds; register your interest for tickets; they’re £100 but it’s all for Dougie Mac, and Channel 4 will be filming. There’s another one at the King’s Hall on 09/11, but tickets aren’t available just yet…
Regent Theatre has a busy September programme including The Night Sky Show (13/09, 5pm), which will take you on an epic journey across the cosmos with big screen visual effects; tickets from £31.72. Did you know that the Staffy Trail is on at Trentham until 18/09? There will be eight bulldog sculptures scattered throughout the park. As ever, it’s free for Trentham members with 15% off during the summer holidays if you book 48 hours in advance; more here.
On our socials…
We walked the 47 bottle ovens and spoke to walk organiser Phil Johnson, who led the historic ramble to raise funds for a mural celebrating 60 years of dance culture in SOT.
🥨 Most popular stories from the last week on The Knot
😍 I’m The Knot’s No. 1 fan: Our fab founder, James, reflects on why he’s become a paid subscriber since handing over the reins to new owners The Lead
🥤More things to do in Longton: you were especially keen to hear about the new cafe Sugar Rush Social inside Longton Market, a retro diner with fab milkshakes
🌿 Calls to protect Staffordshire from extreme weather: James highlighted this recent article in his piece on why he became a paid sub, and many clicked on to read it
Weekly Weather (Stoke-on-Trent):
Mon ⛅️ 23° (12°) Tue ⛅️ 28° (14°) Wed ☀️ 30° (15°) Thu ⛅️ 27° (13°) Fri ⛅️ 25° (13°) Sat 🌧️ 23° (13°) Sun ☁️ 22° (13°).
Sunrise 10/08: 05.40 ☀️ Sunset 10/08: 20.46 🌅
Please keep on doing what you're doing over at The Knot. Accuracy and professionalism seems an increasingly rare quality these days.
Perhaps the positivity could spread even further if you started doing pop-ups at various community events..? You may win even more followers. So many people I talk to don't know about your good work.
The link for this item above appears to need amending to: https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/artskeele/threecountiesopenart2026/
"The Three Counties Open Art Exhibition is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year and opened last weekend; it’s on until 29/08 at Keele University, and is open Tue-Sat, 11am-3pm; entry is free."