People in Stoke-on-Trent have been facing the pressure of Conservative-implemented austerity cuts, de-industrialisation and a cost-of-living crisis. But where there is community, there is help available.

Austerity and deprivation are just two contributing factors for the rise of monkey dust in Stoke-on-Trent - and more needs to be done to tackle these root causes

At the height of production, Stoke-on-Trent supported 70,000 jobs in the ceramics industry, earning its moniker the Potteries.   
 

In 2010 Stoke-on-Trent had central government funding of £95 million a year. That’s now £27 million. It lost £270 million as a result. 
 

Stoke-on-Trent's identity as both a city and the Six Towns can be confusing for non-Stokies. Here, Sarah, who directs the Six Towns Carnival, examines those identities as the area has changed over the decades