NSN: Castle blooms. Better Together. Molly Leigh reimagined. Wildlife spotting.
culture • community • charity • and more
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Castle Gears Up for Heart of England in Bloom 2024
Newcastle-under-Lyme is set to bloom again as the local Business Improvement District (BID) and Borough Council unite for the 2024 Heart of England in Bloom campaign. This collaboration follows their spectacular win at last year’s Britain in Bloom, where the town secured national and regional gold medals.
This year's entry into the BID category aims to further enhance the town's appeal, aligning with the BID’s mission to build a welcoming environment and the Council’s "Town Centres for All" initiative. The Heart of England in Bloom, part of the Royal Horticultural Society’s wider campaign, not only celebrates floral displays but also emphasises sustainability, community involvement, and town animation.
Participants in the competition are evaluated on their contributions to horticulture, cleanliness, biodiversity, and public engagement. The initiative encourages cooperation among local authorities, businesses, community groups, and residents to enhance public spaces and foster community pride.
Charl Pearce, BID Manager, highlighted the synergy between the diverse initiatives led by both the BID and community stakeholders. Local enterprises, like John Pass Jewellers, have taken proactive steps by planting flowers outside their shop, reflecting a community-wide pride in the town centre.
The partnership also plans to engage local schoolchildren and businesses in creative gardening efforts, continuing a tradition that has seen significant financial backing through sponsorships which cover the costs of competition entry.
Cllr. Craig Skelding of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council expressed excitement about the new partnership, emphasising that the collaborative effort goes beyond mere floral displays, aiming to create a vibrant, welcoming community hub.
“This is far more than just flowers; Britain in Bloom brings everyone together to make an area a more pleasant place to live, work, shop and visit,” said Cllr Skelding.
With a legacy of over 30 years in regional and national floral competitions, Newcastle-under-Lyme is blossoming into a prime example of how beauty and community spirit can coalesce to improve the quality of life for everyone who visits or lives near the town centre.
Experts on hand to advise residents at charity drop-in event
Residents can get advice on a range of topics at a free drop-in event hosted by a Stoke-on-Trent charity.
The Better Together in Unity event will take place at the Trent Vale headquarters of registered charity Better Together Community Support Group, and will include advisors from Potteries Moneywise, the Shaw Trust and Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Adult and Community Learning team.
Residents will be able to speak to experts about their issues – including financial matters, employment topics and routes into education - and enjoy light refreshments at the one-stop shop session.
Adam Colclough, of Better Together, said: “Many people are struggling with the cost of living crisis and other pressures at the moment, so it’s important to have access to the support that’s available out there.
“Many organisations have stepped up to offer that support to people and we wanted to make it easy for people to get the help they need.
“As a charity that’s rooted in the community, Better Together are keen to support people in their times of difficulty, which is at the heart of what we do.”
The free event will take place on Thursday, April 25, from 11am to 3pm, at Better Together’s HQ at 4 Woodberry Close, Trent Vale, ST4 5LU.
Reimagining Molly Leigh: New Musical Project to Challenge Historical Narratives
B arts is set to host a vibrant weekend from May 10-12, 2024, at its Hartshill Road location, where the life of Molly Leigh, a woman historically maligned as a witch, will be reexamined through music, storytelling, and community engagement.
The "Who Is Molly Leigh?" event will offer free creative workshops, storytelling sessions, and a community choir experience, all culminating in a performance that challenges long-standing narratives.
Participants over 16 are welcome to engage in an array of activities, including creative writing with British writer and activist Jasmine Gardosi, and story-sharing sessions. A highlight will be the community choir, open to women, non-binary, and trans individuals, led by local choir leader Mary Keith. The weekend is designed to be fully accessible, ensuring inclusivity for all attendees.
The project springs from a successful collaboration between musician Francesca Le Lohe, lyricist Gareth Mattey, and B arts, funded by an Arts Council Project Grant. Their aim is to present a feminist retelling of Leigh's story, emphasising perspectives often overlooked by historical accounts dominated by superstition and sexism.
Composer Francesca Le Lohe expressed her intention to offer a reinterpretation that leads with empathy and reflection, particularly highlighting the challenges still faced by women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and disabled individuals today. Lyricist Gareth Mattey echoed these sentiments, drawing parallels between historical witch hunts and contemporary forms of exclusion.
The event promises not just a revisitation of local history but an immersive experience where attendees can engage with the past in a manner that respects and elevates forgotten or misrepresented voices. For more information or to register, visit B arts' website.
Help needed to break wildlife spotting record in Staffordshire
Staffordshire Ecological Records (SER) and Staffordshire Wildlife Trust are calling on people across the county to record wildlife sightings for the 2024 City Nature Challenge.
The City Nature Challenge is an annual competition among cities all over the world to see how many wild species their citizens can spot over four days: Friday 26 April to Monday 29 April. This is the second year that Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are taking part.
Rory Middleton, Ecological Data Manager for SER, said: “We’re excited for this year’s challenge. In our debut last year, the county placed eighth out of the 11 UK places that took part, and 114th out of the 492 places worldwide that took part. It was a great start, but we hope Staffordshire can break its record this year.
“To take part you’ll need to either download the free iNaturalist app on your phone or tablet, or use the website to record sightings. For a record to count you’ll need to snap a photo of what you’ve found and upload it to iNaturalist. You can use the app to identify what you’ve found or use the in-built search function to select the species if you know what you’ve seen.
“Not only is this a fun way to get involved in recording nature – the information gathered will give us vital data for our county and help us work to protect it. Observations recorded during the challenge will help us map changes in the distribution and population of Staffordshire’s wildlife.”
More information about how to take part, and an iNaturalist instruction video, can be found online: www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk/city-nature-challenge-staffordshire
[Surely we can get higher than 8th in the UK this year?! I enjoyed getting out snapping records for last year’s event! J, the ed]
And finally, see you at Longton Carnival and Pig Walk on Sunday…
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North Staffs News, NSN, is a positive news project and platform for North Staffordshire.
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thanks for now,
Jerome, the editor, North Staffs News