North Staffordshire News & Current Events is our new discussion forum for people living in the City of Stoke-on-Trent, the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands. You can use this forum to raise and discuss any topical social, educational, political, economic or regeneration issue affecting you and your family.
This is your chance to have your say. You can tell those in authority what you think of their proposals. Local groups can use the forum to publicise and gain widespread support for their campaigns to preserve North Staffordshire’s natural heritage and regenerate historic town centres.
Although the list is endless, you could discuss:
Stoke-on-Trent city council’s Mandate for Change.
Plans to reopen Tunstall Pool and regenerate Fenton.
Moorland & City Railways’ schemes to re-establish rail links between Stoke and Leek and between Blythe Bridge and Cheadle.
Mike Wolfe’s proposals to reorganise local government by amalgamating the City of Stoke-on-Trent and the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
Schemes to regenerate the city centre (Hanley), reorganise education and create a University Quarter.
Lack of space prevents us mentioning the Spode factory in Stoke, Burgess, Dorling & Leigh’s Middleport Pottery, Etruria Industrial Museum, Ford Green Hall and Chatterly Whitfield Colliery, which merits World Heritage Site status in its own right.
Parks staff and community groups are celebrating after maintaining their record achievement in a prestigious awards scheme for the second year in a row.
Six of the borough council’s parks and green spaces have again been declared among the best in the country in the Green Flag Award Scheme.
Accolades have today been announced for Bradwell Crematorium, Brampton Park, Lyme Valley, Queen’s Gardens, Silverdale Cemetery and Wolstanton Park and Marsh.
The scheme is the national benchmark for parks and green spaces and celebrates venues that are welcoming, clean, well maintained and managed to a high standard.
Silverdale Cemetery and Wolstanton Park and Marsh won for the first time last year.
Roger Tait, Head of Operations, said: “We are absolutely delighted to maintain last year’s record achievement.
“Residents of all ages can feel proud that they have so many excellent facilities right on their doorstep.
“Our success is a tribute to staff and community groups who work hard to create quality spaces for people to enjoy.”
The initiative is run by the Green Flag Plus Partnership, comprising Keep Britain Tidy, BTCV and GreenSpace.
Phil Barton, partnership chairman, added: “I would like to congratulate this year’s winners, who have worked hard throughout the year to keep their parks and green spaces at a high standard and ensure they are pleasant and enjoyable spaces for the whole community.”
More than one hundred artefacts from the Staffordshire Hoard – the largest and most valuable collection of Anglo-Saxon treasure ever discovered – will be displayed in Washington D.C. later this year.
The exhibition, called ‘Anglo-Saxon Hoard: Gold from England’s Dark Ages’ will be open at the National Geographic Museum from October 29, 2011 to March 4, 2012.
Mark Meredith, Stoke-on-Trent City Council cabinet member for economic development, said: “We are thrilled to announce this exhibition – the Staffordshire Hoard is a world-famous attraction and it is exciting to bring the treasure to a new, international audience.
“The ancient gold and silver artefacts have wowed thousands of people across Britain – the first time we opened the doors to the treasure at The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, it instantly became the biggest exhibition we have ever had. Visitors queued for over four hours a time to see the display and 55,000 people came to view it in just three weeks. We have had visitors and media enquire about the treasure from all over the global including South Africa, Australia, Germany and California.
“Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery experienced similar large queues when the treasure went on display for the first time, with more than 40,000 visitors in 19 days. It is fantastic to give museum-goers in the United States the chance to marvel at this unparalleled treasure too.
“We are pleased to be joining with National Geographic to stage the exhibition. They have been a keen follower of the hoard and have pledged their support to help with the conservation of the treasure.
“It is also an excellent way to promote Stoke-on-Trent and the region in the United States, and there will be information about where the hoard was found. Tourism teams will be working to maximise the potential of the hoard to encourage U.S. visitors to the city to see more of the hoard and other attractions.”
The exhibition in Washington will also help the treasure owners – Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Birmingham City Council – to facilitate vital research to help understand the unique artefacts and ensure that they are conserved for future generations.
Birmingham City Council Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Culture Cllr Martin Mullaney, said: “The Washington exhibition represents another exciting chapter in a story that continues to fascinate the world.
“It will build on hugely successful exhibitions in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent and a touring display of the treasure in Stafford, Lichfield and Tamworth – landmarks in the ancient kingdom of Mercia.
“We want to give as many people as possible the chance to see these wonderful treasures, and are thrilled that the Washington exhibition will mean even more people can see it.
“There is simply so much about the treasure that we don’t yet know – how it came to be buried in a Staffordshire field, who put it there, and why.
“And questions such as how primitive people were able to make such outstandingly beautiful items without the aid of modern day highly specialised tools. Research into these wonderful treasures will help experts delve into these mysteries and reveal the secrets of the Dark Ages.”
The Staffordshire Hoard comprises more than 3,300 mainly gold and silver artefacts from the seventh and eighth centuries. The haul is made up of intricately designed articles of war, including helmet cheek pieces, sword pommels and religious crosses. Experts believe that some of the items were deliberately folded before being buried and that the treasure could be the booty from a battlefield from the ancient kingdom of Mercia.
Susan Norton, director of the National Geographic Museum, said: “We are thrilled to be the only U.S. venue for this exhibition. National Geographic has been a window on the world since 1888, and bringing ‘Anglo-Saxon Hoard’ to our museum in Washington D.C. offers us the opportunity to showcase this incredible find and emphasise the importance of continued exploration. There are wonders to be found both in remote territories and our own backyards.”
The hoard was found by a metal detector enthusiast in a farmer’s field in Staffordshire in 2009, and was saved for the nation by Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Birmingham City Council who bought the treasure for £3.3million, after a massive public fundraising campaign which even gained support from the then British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
In addition to the museum exhibition, National Geographic will feature the hoard and its discovery in a new book, ‘Lost Gold: War, Treasure, and the Mystery of the Saxons’, in a November television special for the National Geographic Channel and in the November issue of National Geographic Magazine.
Permanent displays on the Staffordshire Hoard will remain in Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent. For more information about the Staffordshire Hoard visit www.staffordshirehoard.org.uk.
Carmountside Cemetery and Crematorium, Burslem Cemetery and Fenton Cemetery have all been awarded the prestigious Green Flag Award for their floral displays, horticulture and green spaces. Carmountside has been awarded a Green Flag for the fourth year in succession, while Fenton and Burslem have been given the award for the third year in a row.
Park Hall Country Park (pictured), which contains the city’s only National Nature Reserve, has picked up the award for the first time. The park has achieved recognition for the high standard of maintenance of its wildlife habitats, the provision of leisure and recreational facilities, and the active involvement of the local community in site management.
The Green Flag Award scheme is the national benchmark for parks and green spaces. It was launched in 1996 to recognise and reward the best green spaces in the United Kingdom.
Awards are given on an annual basis and winners must apply each year to renew their Green Flag status.
The award means these cemeteries and the park will be able to fly their Green Flags to show the high standard they have achieved over the past 12 months.
The Green Flag at Parkhall will be raised on Tuesday 26th July at 10:00am by volunteers, and the Green Flag at Carmountside will be raised by Lord Mayor Councillor Terry Follows at 3.00pm.
Councillor Gwen Hassall, cabinet member for housing and neighbourhoods, said: “To receive the award for the third and fourth years running is great credit to the staff at the three cemeteries.
“Carmountside, Fenton and Burslem all provide calm surrounds for people to reflect, and that is in no small part due to the work done in maintaining the grounds.”
Councillor Janine Bridges, cabinet member for city services, added: “Our environmental staff that work at Park Hall take great pride in their work, and it’s fitting that they are recognised for what they have achieved. The Green Flag Award is a hallmark in quality and we are proud to have achieved that status for the park.”
Lord Mayor Councillor Terry Follows added: “All three of these cemeteries and Park Hall Country Park maintain a high standard when it comes to their appearance and the cleanliness.
“The Green Flags also reward the diligence of our staff who work hard throughout the year to make sure that the cemeteries and the park provide a comforting and colourful appearance to everyone who visits them.”
“The Green Flag awards are something that we should all be proud of.”
Ford Green Hall a museum facing an uncertain future
Museums and galleries across the UK have been hit hard by devastating cuts implemented in recent months by local authorities, but what has been the real impact of the reduction in funding? A new survey carried out by the Museums Association has shown that a fifth have had their income cut by over 25%.
Out of those suffering the largest loss of income, 50% have been forced to reduce opening hours and over 85% have cut staff. The report comes in the same week that the director of Tate Liverpool, Christoph Grunenberg, has decided to leave following news that the gallery will itself face job losses.
The survey suggests recent short-term cuts could affect our cultural organisations for many years to come, as nearly half of all respondents anticipate the quality of service in their museum to decrease and 41% report that knowledge and expertise are being lost.
Mark Taylor, Museums Association Director, said, “The survey shows that it’s a myth that you can cut funding without affecting front-line services. People throughout the UK will have less access to the learning, inspiration and enjoyment that museums bring.”
Art Fund director, Stephen Deuchar commented, “The long term impact of short term cuts on museums is deeply worrying. 41% of those affected report that knowledge and expertise are being lost – and without them, in the end, museums are nothing.”
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