Category: NewsDesk

Can You Help Give Leek’s Nicholson Institute a New Image?

Leek’s Nicholson Institute is looking for people who live in the Staffordshire Moorlands to help shape its future.

If you are enthusiastic about local museums, heritage and culture, this is your chance to help make the Nicholson Museum more vibrant and inclusive.

Since May 2025, volunteers have been meeting to explore how the museum can be given a new image.

Four subgroups have been formed. These are Visitor Experience & Museum Operations, Content Development & Programming, Fundraising & Income Generation and Marketing & Audience Development.

New subgroups are being created to focus on education and the museum shop.

More volunteers are needed to join all these subgroups.

£1.5 million given to help save city’s historic buildings

Regeneration experts in the Potteries are delighted that the Heritage at Risk Fund has given £1.5 million to help save Burslem’s Indoor Heritage Market and historic Bethesda Church in the City Centre.

The money will be used to repair the buildings.

If these buildings can be saved, they will make a significant contribution to the growth of North Staffordshire’s heritage tourist economy.

Lancashire Mining Museum given £360,000 to save historic winding house

The Lancashire Mining Museum has been given over £360,000 to save its ‘unique’ winding house.

The Lancashire Mining Museum at Astley, Wigan, has been given about £200,000 by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The money will be used to safeguard the ‘unique’ winding house, which is a prominent feature in the area.

More money to save the building has been given by the Association for Industrial Archaeology, the Arts Council, Awards for All, the Pilgrim Trust and Wigan Council, making a total of over £360,000.

Opened in 1908, the colliery closed in 1970. A large number of written and photographic records have survived. The site includes a winding headgear, winding engine, colliery cottages and a miner’s canteen.

More details about the museum can be obtained from: https://lancashireminingmuseum.lexington-staging-site.co.uk/visit-

The end of a busy week

It’s late Friday afternoon. We have come to the end of a busy week. New apps have been installed on the computer, and specialist scanners have been acquired for the office. A major new research project starts on Monday. It will look at life in the Middle Ages, with special reference to the administration of justice. Have a relaxing and enjoyable weekend. Stay safe.

Hanley Park Wins Green Flag Award for the Fifth Year Running

Once again, Hanley Park has won the prestigious Green Flag Award. The park has received the award for five consecutive years. This confirms its status as one of the best parks in the UK.

Councillor Amjid Wazir OBE, the city council’s cabinet member for city pride, enforcement and sustainability, said:

“This is a fantastic achievement and a massive credit to the team who care for Hanley Park all year round. They always keep the highest standards. The Green Flag award is a clear sign of their dedication.

“Parks like Hanley are vital places where communities can come together. Congratulations to everyone involved. Your pride in our city can be seen by everyone.”

It’s Friday Again

It’s Friday again. How quickly time flies.

We have had a busy week planning a series of talks and posts about Tunstall’s history. Our plans include talks about Tower Square, the Jubilee Buildings and the Memorial Gardens.

Have a good weekend. Relax and keep safe. We’ll see you again on Monday.

Post Industrial Picturesque at the Brampton Museum

A Post Industrial Picturesque, an exhibition at Newcastle’s Brampton Museum, runs until Sunday 7th September. The exhibition highlights the artist’s response to the fascination of derelict industrial buildings in the urban landscape.

Free Admission. The exhibition is open 10am to 5pm (Tuesday to Saturday), and from 1.30 to 5pm on Sunday.

Pop-up exhibition to celebrate Arthur Berry’s life and work

Appetite has organised an open-air pop-up exhibition to celebrate the life of Arthur Berry.

Berry was a playwright, poet and painter. The exhibition explores his life and the impact he had on art and culture in the Potteries.

The exhibition opens in the City Centre on August 4th. It runs there until September 14th. Then it moves to Newcastle-under-Lyme. It reopens there on September 20th and runs until October 1st.

For the Love of Stoke – an exhibition of Donald Morris’s photographs

For the Love of Stoke is an exhibition of Donald Morris’s photographs of the Potteries at the Spode Museum

Taken in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, Donald’s photographs capture the atmosphere and character of Stoke-on-Trent as it was. His pictures show us a way of life that no longer exists. They record a cityscape that has undergone dramatic changes over the years.

Factories and canals, bottle ovens and gas lamps, corner shops and public houses were included in his comprehensive photographic survey.

Admission Free. Open from 10:00 to 16:00. Contact the Museum for more details

Art Exhibition Celebrates City’s Centenary

“A Century of Us” is an art exhibition that celebrates Stoke-on-Trent’s Centenary.

“A Century of US”, an exhibition at the Potteries Centre, runs until Tuesday, September 30. It showcases work by local artists and honours Stoke-on-Trent’s rich heritage. The exhibition features original 2D and 3D artwork, including paintings, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, and sculptures, linked to the Potteries.

Amy Whittaker, The Potteries Centre’s Director, said: “This exhibition is a celebration of our city’s centenary. We’re excited to showcase the talent of local artists while honouring the history, culture and people that have shaped Stoke-on-Trent over the past 100 years.”

Admission Free. The exhibition is open from 10:00 to 17:00.