What a fantastic time we had at the Festival Stoke Big Weekend this August with lots of music, creative activities and community fun.  We'd like to say a huge thanks to everyone who helped to make it happen (see below), including the Summer Street Centre, who shared the costs of putting on the event and created the superb Acoustic Cafe for the Festival; and a super big thank yuo to the lovely children and adults of Stoke who came along, joined in the activities, danced, had fun and made it a special weekend! 

Here's a list of all the people and organisations who helped to make the event happen, on stage and behind the scenes:
Sue Redshaw for organising the Festival Cafe supported by the volunteer team from Stoke Baptist Church. Anne Kinnaird and Rachel Ballard from Letting in the Light hosting 'Greening Stoke' workshops over the weekend. Ash Wall and the Pilgrim's Pit team for organising the MainStage, and performing with Captain Stingray's Groove Machine, supported by Dodgy Jammers and Adele and Andy.  Adam Fenn and the Changes Band along with Emily Kate keeping folk entertained in Acoustic Cafe.  Val Simpson for extensive social media coverage on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Alan Barrett for face-painting with laughter.  Toby White as 'Neil the Snail' and Kate Marshall as 'Cakey Platey' in the Big Lunch tent.  Cllr Andy Platt for sponsoring the Big Lunch Tent with his Ward Budget.  The site-set-up team: Corin Hardcastle for organising supported over the weekend by Alan Barrett, Richard Redshaw, Mike Holdcroft, Richard Redwin, Martin Gooding, Adam Marshall, Derrick McIntosh. Richard Redshaw for photography. The Potteries Omnibus Preservation Society for bringing their vintage double-decker and their friends for the vintage cars.  Etruria Artists for the Potters Wheel and the Table Tennis Club at the Boothen Centre for allowing us to use their building on the day.  RMS for medical cover, Bread in Common for lunches, Dove Woodworking and Hippie at Heart for stalls.  Mike Holdcroft for designing the publicity materials, and Sarah Bonam and Marg Hardcastle for behind-the-scenes organising.  

Sunday 4th August 11am - 4pm
On Sunday come along and help Anne and Rachel from Greening Stoke create some more wonderful plant holders from upcycled objects.  We can help make Stoke not only green, but full of colourful plants too!
Look out for them on the Festival site on Sunday.

We can’t wait for The Big Lunch on Sunday!
11am - 4pm Sunday 4th August
You can bring your own picnic 🧺 
Or you can purchase food from Bread in Common Bakery, they’re bringing their Pizza oven too!🍕 
There’s drinks and snacks available in the Summer Street Centre Cafe aswell. ☕️ 🍰 
Bring your own reusable cup and get free water or squash! 
#oneless #lessplasticwaste

The Big Weekend is back in August in partnership with the fabulous Summer Street Centre in Stoke.  Main event on Sunday 4th with bands, acoustic cafe, street performers, potters wheel, gardening with Greenoing Stoke, stalls, vintage bus, face-painting, art activities - great fun for grown-ups and children too!
Bring a picnic or buy a picnic lunch and join us in the Big Lunch Marquee.

The Greening Stoke team were at Etruria Canals Festival on the first weekend in June giving festival-goers the opportunity to create their own bright upcycled plant containers.  The team have also visited the Grocott Centre in Fenton where participants enthusiastically joined in to help create some colourful and fun planters for their garden.  Children from Stoke Minster School helped artists Anne and Rachel create fantastic planters for Yeamon Streen Park.
If you get chance to pop along to Stoke Market you will see the Greening Stoke planters outside the entrance and up the wall, brightening up the car park view!
​It's going to be a colourful summer! #greeningstoke

Just like Werburgh,  Queen Aethelflaed has nearly been forgotten by history. Thanks to Tom Holland we can now discover the epic history of England’s influential, but mostly forgotten, Queen Aethelflaed through his fabulous new Ladybird book.
​Listen to author Tom share the story of this formidable leader, pulling her out of the shadowy history of the dark ages, at Festival in a Factory in June.
Two winners will each win 2 tickets to hear Tom present his book At Festival in a Factory on Saturday June 8th 3.30pm simply by ‘liking’ the post on our Facebook page!
Feel free to comment and tell us why you would love to win! 
Two lucky winners will be chosen at random! 
​Check out more brilliant events at Festival in a Factory too!

Have you seen the beautiful flowers starting to appear around Stoke?  Check out the market place, and there are more to come this year!

Nic Winstanley is working on a design for a waymarker to go alongside the canal in Stoke, based on the theme of 'Hospitality & Welcome', one of the Seven Values Waymarkers for the Werburgh and the Wild Goose project.
She is running a free workshop at Stoke Market on Saturday 23rd March 2019.
Nic writes:
"For Saxon people, offering food & shelter to visitors and those seeking refuge was part of their culture, so I feel that Stoke Indoor Market is an ideal location to explore this theme. The Market is fast becoming a hub for the community, offering a vast array of quality goods from friendly and welcoming stallholders."
At the workshop people will carve vegetables from the fruit and veg stall into mini sculptures and working musical instruments that would go on to inspire the design of the Waymaker. Artists Nic and Anne will help participants with the carving and making their instruments.
Do call in on Saturday - the event is free to join in with, but if you are part of a group of more than five people please would you contact Anne in advance.  
anne@lettinginthelight.org.uk
This project is supported by Arts Council England