Welcome Stokies! Celebrating People, Place and Possibility
As Stoke-on-Trent looks to the end of its centenary year, we’re celebrating the
people and projects shaping our city’s future.
The Let’s Celebrate Fund turned a £20,000 act of generosity into £65,000 of community investment, supporting 26 groups to bring the centenary to life through creativity and connection.
Made in Stoke were invited to bring this spirit to Wales and London, proudly sharing how collaboration and local pride are powering change here at home. Through the Future Ready Pledge, young people like Aaron are gaining hands-on experience and confidence to pursue their passions, while North Staffs Mind looks ahead to its 50th anniversary with an ambitious £2 million Mental Wellbeing Hub of Excellence.
Together, these stories show what’s possible when Stoke stands united - celebrating our heritage and building a bright, inclusive future. To you, our network, we say thank you for your support enabling us to make real
changes to our City!
The Made in Stoke Team
Celebrate Fund – Philanthropy Going Further!
As part of Stoke-on-Trent’s year-long centenary celebrations, the “Let’s Celebrate: SOT 100 Community Grants Fund” was established thanks to a generous £20,000 philanthropic donation from one of our Made in Stoke community members. The fund was created to support voluntary and community groups in hosting events and activities that mark Stoke-on-Trent’s 100th anniversary in 2025 - bringing people together, creating lasting memories, and building a meaningful legacy for future generations.
With match funding from our partners Stoke-on-Trent City Council and The Community Foundation for Staffordshire & Shropshire, the initial £20,000 grew into an incredible £65,000. Also administered by The Community Foundation, local groups were invited to apply for grants ranging from £500 to £3,000 to support their community projects.
In total, 26 groups received funding - making a remarkable impact across the city and helping to make the centenary year truly unforgettable.
Saul Hewish, Artistic Director at The Social Agency, one of the groups awarded a grant from this fund said
“The Let’s Celebrate funding has made a real difference to the Social Agency because it has allowed us to run a series of 8 puppet making workshops with autistic adults, focusing on the strengths and possible futures of the city”
The newly rebranded City of Stoke-on-Trent Symphony Orchestra also received funds towards their centenary plans. Joe Hearson, Artistic Director added “The CSSO was delighted to receive funding from the Let’s Celebrate Stoke 100 Fund earlier this year, which went towards its official launch concert as the City of Stoke-on-Trent Symphony Orchestra in June. Support from funding partners like Made in Stoke is extremely valuable to organisations like ours; not only does it contribute to our work on a practical level, but it shows that there is a very real desire within Stoke-on-Trent for music to play a key role in the city’s cultural future. We are proud to have been an official part of the city’s centenary and look forward to championing the city long into the future.”
Made in Stoke on Tour: Sharing Our Story in Wales and London
This month, Made in Stoke went on tour - taking our story, learning, and local pride on the road to Wales and London.
We were delighted to share the work of Made in Stoke at the Your Voice, Your Rhyl event, exploring placemaking in action. Hosted by Community Foundation Wales and the Neumark Foundation, the event brought together changemakers, funders, and community leaders to discuss how people and place come together to shape thriving communities.
Our session offered a chance to reflect on the Made in Stoke journey so far - the successes, the challenges, and the collective drive that keeps our work moving forward. We were genuinely encouraged by the interest in the Made in Stoke model and the potential for others to replicate some of our learning in their own communities. It was also inspiring to hear from other speakers, including First Minister for Wales, Eluned Morgan, who spoke passionately about community voice and locally-led change.
The following week, we were thrilled to be at the Royal Opera House for the Local Cultural Education Partnership event. We had the opportunity to share the journey of establishing Made in Stoke, highlighting some of our major successes - from securing significant financial investment and creating life-changing opportunities for young people, to forming think tanks that tackle wicked problems and launching our Speakers in Schools programme.
It was fantastic to meet so many people from across the South East who are deeply committed to supporting their places and communities. And, as a proud Stokie, it’s always a humbling and emotional experience to stand on stage and shout about the incredible work happening in Stoke - work that’s now helping to lead some of the national conversations around how networks can power place-based change. As Made in Stoke continues to grow, we want to connect with people who have something to give back to our city - whether that’s financial investment, a talent or skill that could unlock opportunities for community groups, schools or charities, or simply time to give as a trustee, governor or mentor. Every contribution matters. Together, we can keep proving what’s possible when a city stands proud, united, and determined to shape its own future.
Promising Young Programmer Gains Real-World Experience Through Future Ready Pledge Placement
Aaron, who is part of the Youth Employment and Skills (YES) initiative, has a real passion for computer programming. To help him explore this further, his Employment and Skills Coach identified a great opportunity through the Future Ready Pledge programme - a two-day placement with the software team at Carse and Waterman Productions Ltd.
During his time there, Aaron worked as an assistant programmer to their technical director. Through his extracurricular activities, it was clear that Aaron had already built a solid knowledge of programming and was familiar with several languages, but the team at Carse and Waterman wanted to see how he would apply that knowledge within their 3D software, Blender, by developing tools to automate complex and time-consuming tasks.
Aaron’s primary task was to build a wave tool in Blender. This required him to first understand Blender’s requirements and methodology and then apply his own programming skills effectively. He handled this challenge very well. Aaron was placed in a classic programmer’s situation - working with software he wasn’t fully familiar with and having to deliver a working solution within a short timeframe. He demonstrated strong problem-solving abilities, initiative, and independence. Unlike many work experience students, who can rely too heavily on staff for guidance, Aaron struck the right balance: he listened carefully to the briefing, asked relevant questions when needed, but also worked independently and productively without constant supervision. Although communication has sometimes been a barrier, Aaron came out of the placement more talkative and eager to share what he’d achieved. His confidence grew, and he expressed how rewarding it was to apply his skills in a real work environment.
Aaron didn’t want the placement to end; he's already asked to return for more experience. While the two-day opportunity didn’t come with formal qualifications, it did result in a strong reference, increased confidence, and a clearer sense of direction.
He’s now actively exploring IT employment opportunities and open to further placements. Plans are underway to support Aaron in volunteering with Caudwell Children, where he could earn qualifications in GDPR and Data Protection valuable skills for any future IT role.
Dan Waterman, Co-founder Carse and Waterman said
"Seeing Aaron succeed in his challenge was highly rewarding. While our studio often hosts young people whose final outputs vary in quality, Aaron stood out. His passion for programming is matched by real ability and dedication. With the right opportunities, we’re confident Aaron has the potential to become an excellent programmer capable of tackling complex challenges".
50 Years of MIND North Staffs – Think Tank Help Needed!
In 2026, North Staffs Mind will celebrate 50 years of transforming lives through mental wellbeing services. As we mark this milestone, we are embarking on our most ambitious project yet: creating a new, purpose-built Mental Wellbeing Hub of Excellence in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent where our current premises are based. This new HQ will not only reflect the professionalism and compassion of our services - it will also set a new standard for accessible, inclusive, and welcoming mental health support in our region. Planning permission is secured, designs are in place, and we are ready to move forward.
But we can’t do it alone.
We’re assembling a think tank of passionate, skilled professionals to help us create an innovative, impactful fundraising strategy to raise the £2 million needed to bring this vision to life. You don’t necessarily need experience in mental health services - just a belief in their importance, and expertise in areas like fundraising, marketing, business strategy, community engagement, law, placemaking, regeneration or project development. This is a rare opportunity to contribute to a landmark project that will support the mental wellbeing of thousands in Stoke-on-Trent and Cheshire for generations to come.
Will you join us?
To express your interest in being part of the think tank and joining the first meeting
which will take place before the end of the year (dates to be confirmed), or to find out more, please contact deb@madeinstoke.com
Let’s create something extraordinary - together.
Big love,
