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- Entertainment
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Hundreds gather for city's centenary parade
Persistent rain did not dampen the spirits of hundreds of people who turned out for a parade to mark a city's centenary. Hundreds gathered on the streets of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, to watch the People's Parade - the centrepiece of ongoing 100th birthday celebrations. The procession, featuring huge puppets, live music and dancing, began at 13:00 BST with about 1,000 participants marching for 1.5 miles (2.4km) from College Road to finish at Hanley Park. Speaking before, organiser Susan Clarke, from Stoke Creates, said: "It really is going to knock everyone's socks off." "We don't tell the world enough how good we are at doing stuff and how creative and imaginative we are. "Take us seriously, stop putting us down because there's no reason to do that now." More than 350 artists worked with 70 groups across the city on the procession - with the puppets including a representation of Burslem-born Lemmy from Motörhead, a giant clock and a 16ft-high (4.4m) figure which can interact with onlookers. Costume maker Holly Johnson made 100 cupcake costumes that were worn by pupils from Angela Beardmore School of Dance. She said: "I've been told I could go to other cities and I could maybe do better, but we love Stoke so much that we want to help build the community here and we just wanted to keep help building the arts here." Dave Lovatt, from Cat & Mouse Theatre Group, said his job was to get the crowd "roused up and excited" by sharing stories of local heroes on a megaphone, including Sir Stanley Matthews, Robbie Williams and athlete Jazmin Sawyers. Children from Year 7 at Haywood Academy worked with artist Emily Andrews to create a replica of the city's incinerator, with an invented creature protruding from it that is part fox, part axolotl. The children fed litter, picked along the route, to the "foxalotl" and recycling it afterwards. "I grew up in Stoke, it's a big part of my life and a big part of who I am," Ms Andrews said. The six towns, which were granted city status by King George V on 5 June 1925, marked the first official Stoke-on-Trent Day on Thursday. Celebrations culminate on Saturday with Party in the Park at Hanley Park, with performances from local musicians and street food stalls. A Lancaster Bomber flew over it just after 15:00 BST, approaching from Stoke-on-Trent College and continuing to the city centre. The city's Lord Mayor Steve Watkins called it a "spectacular moment", symbolising the city's wartime contribution and "longstanding history of service and resilience". A free street party with eight hours of dance music is also taking place on Piccadilly, Hanley, on Saturday from 14:00 to 23:00. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Events to celebrate city's 100th anniversary Free music festival announced for city's centenary 'You can't find better people than Stokies' Stoke-on-Trent Centenary
BBC News
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Stoke-on-Trent gears up for 'incredible centenary parade'
A parade to mark a city's 100th anniversary promises to be an "absolutely incredible" day, organisers People's Parade is being held in Stoke-on-Trent on 7 June, and will form the centrepiece of the city's centenary Isla Telford, from community group Stoke Creates, said about 800 people would be taking part in the 1.5-mile procession through Hanley."It's all hands on deck, there are things still in the process of being made. People are coming together from all over the city to bring this together, which is just an absolute joy to see," she told BBC Radio Stoke. A number of arts and creative organisations in the area have been working on the parade along with residents across the will feature giant puppets, including one called the Spirit of Stoke, which will lead the parade, as well as 100 dancing cupcakes and a marching band. Appeal for volunteers "It will all come together on the day and be absolutely incredible," Ms Telford said Stoke Creates were still appealing for volunteers to help on the day and urged anyone interested to get in parade was announced at the start of the year and has been partly funded through a £125,000 grant from Arts Council will come shortly after the very first Stoke-on-Trent Day, which will be on 5 obtained city status from His Majesty King George V in 1925, as the monarch recognised the area's considerable contribution to the pottery industry. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
