The Stoke-on-Trent Lead launches tomorrow (February 8). Together with our key contributors and writers from the area, here’s a taste of what we will be bringing you in the coming weeks.
- Life on Bentilee - speaking with residents and volunteers about how life has changed on the estate over the decades
- The Portland Inn Project and what it means for the people of Hanley
- Beyond the headlines: Homelessness in Stoke-on-Trent, how we can really help, the obstacles and the pressing need to humanise the narrative
- A feature investigating what has changed in each of the six town centres that make up Stoke-on-Trent - and why
Every Thursday, you will receive an in-depth feature or investigation along with our recommendations for things to do in the next seven days, and things written elsewhere about Stoke-on-Trent that we think are worth your time.
Martha Bird, a freelance journalist who has been working with us to launch The Stoke-on-Trent Lead, said: "All too often, I find Stoke-on-Trent gets overshadowed by our cultural powerhouse neighbours; Liverpool’s down the road, Manchester’s just next door, Birmingham’s only an hour on the train. We rarely get the look in that I feel we deserve. Stoke-on-Trent is more than the legacy of the Potteries and an over-simplified narrative of post-industrial city in decline.
"This history is important to explore in all its many socio-political and economic facets, but it’s not the only part of our identity. The overwhelmingly negative coverage that we receive just doesn’t fit what I see and experience from the people around here. We’ve got a great sense of pride, a great local cultural scene of our own, and to be able to write about the people who are working to forge an ever stronger sense of community is a truly exciting venture for me."
