Latest news with #StokeOnTrent
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Hundreds gather for Stoke-on-Trent's centenary parade
"It really is going to knock everyone's socks off," says the organiser of a parade taking place to mark a city's are gathering on the streets of Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, to watch the People's Parade - the centrepiece of ongoing 100th birthday procession, featuring huge puppets, live music and dancing, will begin at 13:00 BST with about 800 participants marching for 1.5 miles (2.4km) from College Road to finish at Hanley Susan Clarke, from Stoke Creates, said: "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 has made 100 cupcake costumes that will be worn by pupils from Angela Beardmore School of 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 he would be "getting the crowd roused up and excited" by sharing stories of local heroes on a said famed residents represented in the parde would include Sir Stanley Matthews, Robbie Williams and athlete Jazmin from Year 7 at Haywood Academy have 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 children will be feeding 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 will fly over it just after 15:00 BST, approaching from Stoke-on-Trent College and continuing to the city city's Lord Mayor Steve Watkins said it would be 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.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
‘Highly recommended' car dealership with nearly perfect review scores suddenly shuts
A HIGHLY recommended car dealership with excellent reviews has closed suddenly. The Evans Halshaw location ceased trading quietly earlier this month with no warning given. One of the firms 'direct hubs' the small location in Stoke on Trent ceased trading without a word. It boasted glowing reviews from happy customers and an impressive 4.7 stars on Google. The little site in the carpark of a Morrisons could be used by locals to sell or part exchange their motors. Evans Halshaw has wound down operations in the UK with several dealerships and locations closing across the country. The move comes after the firm's parent company, Pendragon, was taken over by US-based Lithia Motors last year. With the takeover restructuring was implemented and it was reported in February that several dealerships would close. The Evans Halshaw Renault and Dacia site in Doncaster and its Vauxhall sites in Portsmouth and Wolverhampton were earmarked for closure. The firms Edinburgh Vauxhall dealership was sold off to Arnold Clark as part of the restructuring. Several of its direct hub sites were also slated to cease trading with the Stoke location shutting up shop this month. Lithia reportedly cut 250 jobs last year when the US business killed off the 'CarShop' used car supermarket brand. The Stoke Evans Halshaw Direct Pod was closed without warning and still shows as open online. Why are so many car dealerships closing down? By Summer Raemason According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK. The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships. With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don't even step foot into a dealership anymore. Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared. Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket. Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors. The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry. A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars. They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050. The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals. This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures. The only indication of the impending closure was a small line of text buried away on the Evans Halshaw site. It read: "The following dealerships ceased trading in May 2025: Evans Halshaw Direct Pod Stoke." The Sun contacted Evans Halshaw for comment, with the company saying: "The Direct pod at Stoke has now closed for business." The direct pod in Stoke boasted glowing online reviews with dozens of customers offering four or five stars. An employee, James, was frequently mentioned and applauded for his good communication. The site also offered a "very good price" to customers looking to sell their cars according to the reviews. Customer David Pratt said: "Many thanks to James at Car Store Direct who made the whole experience of selling my car as easy and trouble free as possible, even providing a better price for my car than a number of competitors. "A very fair and professional service I would have no hesitation in recommending my friend's and relatives to Car Store Direct and James in particular." Stephen Wood, another former customer added: "Highly recommend James and the service we received. "Quick efficient and easy, money arrived in our account earlier than expected, well done." Craig Kennedy said: "Sold my car today and I must say the overall experience via carstore has been fantastic. "James was a pleasure to deal with. I would definitely deal with James and the company again if needed." Jayne Taylor said: "James was very helpful we turned up with a flat battery he helped to restart the car he was very polite and any queries were dealt with really promptly a very easy selling of my car." All four customers offered five star reviews to the Evans Halshaw location. Evans Halshaw confirmed that eight dealerships ceased trading earlier this year. Dacia Doncaster, Dacia Sheffield, Renault Doncaster, Vauxhall Portsmouth, Vauxhall Wolverhampton, Evans Halshaw Direct Pod St Albans, Evans Halshaw Direct Pod Hanworth and Evans Halshaw Direct Pod Orpington all shut shop in January. 3
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'Significant spike' in deliberate fires
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has urged parents to talk to their children about the dangers of starting fires, after a "significant spike" in deliberate fires. Of the 335 outdoor fires in April, 72% were believed to have been started deliberately, SFRS said. It added that the number of fires in April was a 189% increase on the same period in 2024. Dave Steel, northern service delivery group lead said the hot weather meant fires would spread rapidly: "What kids may think is just a small fire, could soon develop into a large blaze that could cause devastation to land, people and property." Recent incidents include a fire on Old Hall Drive, in Newcastle-under-Lyme, at 19:00 BST on 14 May. The fire, in a hedge, had spread to garden furniture. No one was injured. Another incident, on 15 May, saw crews called to an area of woodland off Hargreave Close, Meir Park, Stoke-on-Trent, at 19:45. The fire, measuring about two-metres-by-two-meters, was extinguished and again no-one was reported injured. SFRS said both incidents were started deliberately and Staffordshire Police was investigating. "This recent incident in Newcastle-under-Lyme had spread from a field to a garden and had the family not been at home at the time to alert it, it could have spread to their property," Mr Steel added. "It is important to remember that whilst firefighters are dealing with these deliberate fires, it means that should there be another incident locally, such as a car crash or a house fire, the nearest fire crew won't be available." This year, the Easter holidays coincided with the sunniest and one of the driest Aprils on record. Ch Insp for Newcastle-under-Lyme local policing team, Darren McGrath, added: "It's really important for parents to have a conversation with their children so they understand both the dangers and the seriousness of these offences." Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Praise for fireman who saved football fan's life Warning after series of 'deliberate' fires at park Arson probe into derelict pottery factory fire Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service
The Guardian
16-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Brecht's answer to Beckett's question
The question posed by Andy Beckett (What if one key problem with British politics at the moment is us – the voters?, 16 May) was answered with sharp irony by Bertolt Brecht in his poem Die Lösung (The Solution): 'Would it not in that case / Be simpler for the government / To dissolve the people / And elect another?'Derrick CameronStoke-on-Trent Thames Water's chair, Sir Adrian Montague, argues for bonuses up to 50% of senior managers' salaries, because they are its 'most precious resource' (Report, 15 May). Some of us would say that water is their most precious resource, and should not be in the hands of rule-breaking, profit-seeking TreagusManchester Thames Water's executives want Ofwat to refrain from fining the company for its failings (Nils Pratley on finance, 13, May). Perhaps instead, the overpaid executives themselves should be issued with massive fines for their failings? It might just concentrate their minds a bit GreenIpswich Our football-mad German step-grandson, aged seven, came to stay recently, travelling in one of his many souvenir shirts, a West Ham one. 'Is someone forcing you to wear that?' asked the border official (Letters, 13 April).Karen AdlerNottingham Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
AP PHOTOS: Statue of late Motorhead frontman Lemmy unveiled in English hometown
A decade after his death, Lemmy, the frontman of the legendary British heavy metal band Motorhead, will stand tall and proud in his hometown in the north of England. Well, his statue will. Inside the statue though will be some of Lemmy's ashes, so it will no doubt become a shrine for Motorhead's legion of fans around the world. And indeed it was on Friday, as the statue to the hard-living Lemmy — real name Ian Kilmister — was unveiled in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Black leather and denim jackets emblazoned with Lemmy's image were the norm for the day on a bright and sunny day in the northern English town. No wonder, many fans opted for a thirst-quencher at the local pub. There were even some Lemmy lookalikes. Lemmy was the only continuous member of Motorhead, which he co-founded in 1975 after he was fired from another legendary rock band, Hawkwind, following a drug possession arrest at the Canadian border. So he decided to go his own way and Motorhead helped pioneer heavy metal music in Britain — and around the world — with a string of high-octane albums, perhaps most memorably with 1980's 'Ace Of Spades.' The statue was crafted by acclaimed local sculptor and lifelong Motorhead fan Andy Edwards — who is best-known for his statue of the Beatles on Liverpool's Pier Head. It captures Lemmy, who died from cancer in December 2015 at the age of 70, in his iconic pose with his bass guitar. In December, following his will's instructions, another batch of Lemmy's ashes were installed in an urn shaped like his trademark cavalry hat at the Stringfellows gentlemen's club in London where he was 'a regular.' That and Friday's ceremony are part of the 'Lemmy Forever!' movement, which sees the rocker enshrined in many of his favorite spots around the world. Lemmy's legendary status was evident at his funeral, which saw rock heavyweights including The Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash and Metallica members Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo pay tribute.
