City’s heritage under spotlight in series of roadshows

Residents are being invited to share their views about heritage in the city as part an ongoing commitment to protect, preserve and celebrate Stoke-on-Trent’s history.

Stoke-on-Trent is one of the first nine places set to benefit from a share of £200 million as part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places initiative.

As part of the project, a series of heritage roadshows are taking place across the city to establish what people value the most. The roadshows will help to develop a shared approach to how the city manages its heritage, and establish a pipeline of heritage regeneration sites and projects over the coming years.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is working with Heritage Culture Communities to develop and deliver the events which will take place throughout June, July, September and October.

The organisation will work in collaboration with key partners in the community to explore the city’s unique heritage and capture what communities and stakeholders say is important to them and what they think needs to be protected, promoted and prioritised.

Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We’re a city with a rich history and a number of distinctive buildings that need to be preserved, restored and refurbished for the benefit of the local community and visitors to the city.

“Before we do anything, we need to understand how our residents feel about heritage in the city and what’s most important to them. When we talk about heritage in this context, we’re including the history, traditions and natural features that connect us to our past and shape our identity - whether they’re buildings, places, landscapes or old factory sites.

“This exercise will also help us to know where to focus our resources and efforts as well as provide us with vital information to plan for future policy and direction.”

The roadshows are designed to bring people together to uncover and share local stories, places and traditions. They will feature activities such as mapping local heritage assets, heritage-themed walks and talks led by the Potteries Heritage Society and family-friendly creative and cultural activities.

They will take place:

• Saturday 28 June – Burslem School of Art, Burslem, Oliver’s Mill, Cobridge – 10am-12pm (workshop) 12pm-1.20pm (heritage walk)
• Saturday 12 July – Fenton Town Hall, Fenton – 10am-12pm (workshop) 12-1.30pm (heritage walk)
• Saturday 19 July – Westport Lake Café, Longport, Canal and River Trust sites 10am-12pm (workshop) 12-1.30pm (heritage walk)

People should arrive by 11.30am if only attending for the walk.

Roadshows are also being organised in Shelton, Etruria and Stoke town centre throughout September and October. The details of these events will be shared in due course.

The work to protect the city’s heritage through the Heritage Places initiative is in addition to the ongoing effort Stoke-on-Trent City Council is making to safeguard the long-term future of some of its most iconic heritage buildings.

This includes the former Burslem Indoor Market building and the Wedgwood Institute, also in Burslem, where the council is looking to carry out emergency repair works to ensure they can be preserved for future generations.

Plans are also progressing to transform the former Spode pottery works in Stoke after Capital & Centric was appointed as development partner for the site, marking a huge milestone in its regeneration.

At the same time, the council is supporting Re-form Heritage with its plans to transform Bethesda Chapel in Hanley into a centre for education and events.

It also follows the launch of the Living Heritage City Trail – an interactive self-guided trail through Stoke and Hanley which was unveiled earlier this year, as part of the city’s Centenary celebrations.

For more information about the trail visit Stoke-on-Trent Living Heritage City - Visit Stoke