The amazing Wonder Women group helped to make the replacement signs for the Two Saints Way route through the city.  Using upcycled pallets they prepared the wood and helped to paint the signs.  
They also made some new banners for outside the museum.  Wonderful!

​We had a wonderful day on Saturday up at plot 33 for the annual Seed Swap and Blythe’s Allotment Gallery ‘Lutum’ exhibit.
Alongside the beautiful art displayed, there was lovely live music from James and Marg, a clay making workshop with Blythe and lots of hot drinks and homemade treats. The weather was kind to us once again too!
Thanks to everyone who came along!

We were delighted to read this article by journalist Hannah Hiles, written for the online news The Knot (positive stories from Staffordshire).
There's a growing enthusiasm for the Two Saints Way and our project in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent supports a greater awareness both with local people and further afield.
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Our Brilliant Birds session started at 7.30am in the morning!  
We had a fabulous time up at plot 33 on Saturday at the Nature Connect Club event, ‘Brilliant Birds’.
Francesca led us in some brilliant bird related and bird spotting activities.  We had lots of fun identifying the different varieties of our feathered friends, some right up close including a Robin who came to eat from one of the bird feeders we made!
The younger visitors made their own bird masks and searched for Francesca’s woolly worms (worms made from wool in case you thought it was a type of worm!) and we cooked toast for breakfast on the fire which was delicious with Anne and Rachel’s home made jam and as always, we enjoyed a hot cuppa
Thanks to everyone who came along.
Funded by UK Government
Stoke-on-Trent City Council
#greenspace #nature #birdwatching

​We had a fabulous Tidy Up My Town session on Friday with year 4 children from Stoke Minster school.
We were at Stoke Indoor Market joined by Martin Gooding making badges and placards with slogans to help make Stoke a nicer place to live in. 
We did some litter picking around the market and library too. 
Then we did a practice March back to the school with the placards chanting some of the slogans and got lots of support from passing motorists beeping their horns at us! 🚗 👋🏼 
It was a great day 🙌🏼 

We had a great afternoon last week litter picking around Stoke Market , then taking over a stall and making badges, telling passers by about their campaign and making banners that will be displayed around Stoke & then used in the final ‘Tidy up my Town’ parade!
Stoke Minster school Year 5’s have been proudly wearing the Tidy up my Town high Viz designed from a year 6 child’s art work; it's great to see their enthusiasm for this project.
Read all about the project on the website page Tidy up my Town.
Funded by UK Government

We are delighted to announce that we are partnering with Two Saints Way project to revitalise the walking route through Stoke-on-Trent.  The route is a 92 mile long-distance pilgrimage route between Chester and Lichfield which was launched in 2015.  Unusually for a pilgrimage walk it travels through the heart of our urban city.  Since the route was launched, however, some sections of the path have become a bit unclear where roads and buildings have changed, and through Festival Park also. We are working with the City of Imagination wider project to bring the focus back for walkers to be guided through the city.  In particular we will encourage people to call in to see The Staffordshire Hoard.  The Hoard items originate from the time of the two Saints mentioned in the title of the route: St Werburgh and St Chad (the patron saints of Chester Cathedral and Lichfield Cathedral respectively).  Festival has had an interest in St Werburgh's story, when in 2019 we led an Arts Council funded project 'Werburgh and the Wild Goose'.  Keep your eye on our socials and on the Whats On page here on the website for opportunities to join in.

Later in October we'll be launching Nature Connect Club with the first session 'Fab Fungi' on Monday 28th October in Stoke Minster grounds.  This is the first of 12 sessions funded under the Greenspace Stoke project - to encourage and support children and adults in Stoke to connect with nature outdoors in the town.  
Francesca Wheeler will be leading each session, bringing her experience of creative nature events with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.  Activities will be suitable for children and for adults too and will be adapted to the outdoor site and weather conditions on the day.  Don't let the rain put you off!  
Keep an eye on the project page Nature Connect Club or our Facebook page for up-to-date information.
https://www.facebook.com/festivalstoke