We are excited to be involved in Hi! Stoke - the mini festival taking place in the town of Stoke on September 18th.  The festival is part of a three year project to enhance Stoke town centre and involves the creative people and organisations in Stoke, like ourselves, organising fun and creative activities and events to highlight the many heritage features of the town.  Put the date in your diary and join us for a Hi! Stoke fund day.
More information about the Heritage Action Zone can be found at hiculturestoke.co.uk

We had a wonderful July at Festival Stoke, with the Greening Stoke Plot 33 Alotment flourishing in the summer sun and the Mysterious Moth event at the Spode entrance in the town centre.

News from Plot 33:
Wednesday 21st July -  it was almost too hot to do anything today! but a few wonder women braved the heat to join us on plot 33 Anne and Reannan painted the fence in the shade of a gazebo while the rest of us continued to make some banners for a project we are working on.  Then we enjoyed  a lunch of frittata made with the potatoes, spinach, onions and garlic.
You can read more at the Greening Stoke blog and see some pictures of the first cucumber harvest too.

Mysterious Moth event took place on the weekend of 24-25 July at the Spode shop near to the Spode archway.  The event was part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme which is happening in the town centre of Stoke over three years.  Artist Becki Kremer created magnificent fabric moths which were suspended around the space. Artist Kirk Sylvester created a magical projection of animated moths and packing boxes.  You can find out more on the Mysterious Moth page.

We're getting excited about our first Mysterious Moth event on Saturday 24th - Sunday 25th July!
Taking place at the Spode entrance on Church Street in Stoke centre, we will be showing two evocative projections and one bright and colourful 3D moth installation.  Drop in either day between 2pm and 6pm and enjoy the light and airy space to view them.  
This event is in partnership with artist friends in the ACAVA studios in Spode and part of the High Street Heritage Action Zone - Hi! Culture Stoke.  
It is free to access so come and be uplifted by the wonderful artworks.
Above is a photo of the work in progress by artist Becki Kremer who writes:
"​As part of the Mysterious Moth project, I’ve been hand cutting, sewing and embroidering a series of felt moths, of various colours, styles, and sizes.
There are 12 moths, with the designs and colour combinations based on different types of real moths’ complex wing patterns - each with their own distinct personality and motifs.
I’ve been using several different stitching and embroidering techniques to create texture, depth, intricate markings, and layered colours. I also wanted to hand stitch each of them as it allows for more detailed personal touches that I could not achieve with a machine."

Created by friends at Letting in the Light - The Hidden Gems of Stoke trail is now live!  Download a leaflet from the trail webpage or pick up a copy from Stoke Market or Library and follow the map to see how many you can spot.  To help you spot each hidden gem we have attached a sign to a nearby lamppost.

This week Rachel is placing 40 scarred pots around Stoke (town centre) for the public to discover and keep. Some pots will be placed in small boxes (look out for the Stoke Festival sticker) and others will be placed in nooks and crannies. 
My work is inspired by Kintsugi, an ancient Japanese method of mending broken pottery with gold, as a result, the pots become more beautiful and precious. I deliberately scar each pot and fill the scar with gold; expressing the mystery of new beginnings and new life even in our deepest pain. These golden scars represent all our stories of loss and reflect the beauty of hope and healing.

As Part Two of Harry Wakeling's 'Lost Moments' commission he asked: 'What are you most looking forward to when lockdown ends?"  The answers were full of hope.  They have now been installed on lamposts around the town of Stoke to brighten up people's days.  Head over to the Lost Moments page to view them all, or better still, take a walk through the town if you are near to Stoke.

Our friends at Letting in the Light are creating a walking trail in Stoke this spring and it will feature the hidden gems of the town of Stoke.
They are asking for suggestions and photos from local people asking them to share what the hidden gems of the town are
If you can help then click this link to complete a short survey.

🔜 By Friday 19th March!
Tell your friends and neighbours who live in Stoke too - they can pop their ideas into Stoke Market if they aren't on the internet. 
Other ways you can let us know:
Post on social media with the hashtag #stoketrail 
Message our Facebook page @lettinginthelight
Tag your photo on Instagram or Twitter @lettinginthelight

Any questions - message us or phone us on  07759 233419
Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Community Fund 
*(Please note: we are focussing on the town of Stoke-upon-Trent.)

In January we got the keys to Plot 33 - an allotment for Greening Stoke!
Anne and Rachel are writing a regular blog post which you can follow through the Greening Stoke website, or use the link from the Greening Stoke page.
Greening Stoke is a project run in partnership between Festival Stoke and Letting in the Light. 
"We want to share with you the journey of taking on an allotment for Greening Stoke. We will share our ups and our downs, and we hope that you will be able to come and visit us during 2021.
Sign up to our newsletter too, keep up to date with how the allotment is developing and, once lockeown eases, we can tell you when we are running activities you can join in.

Adam Buckeridge has created three amazing soundscape recordings, so grab a pair of headphones, sit down, chill and enjoy the first of these - Rural Soundscape.