Stoke town Neighbourhood Plan meetings

Toby Young on litter

Toby Young on litter in the UK, on Sky this week...

An oral history of greening Stoke, 1966-2016

"It were all waste heaps and poison canals round 'ere, when I were a lass, and now it's green meadows, ponds, little woods and bicycle paths...".

An idea for a radio documentary I'd like to see made by someone: suggested title of "Bloomin' Stoke!" — a feature-length grassroots oral history on the greening of the city over the 50 years from 1966 to 2016. It would recount the struggle to green the city's landscape and bring back wildlife, and be told by the recollections of ordinary people and grassroots conservationists rather than archival TV footage from the mainstream media. Ideally it would have no eco-propagandist skew or local political gloss, and would be simply a straightforward history documentary.

What got me idly musing on the topic was hearing about the death of Derek Bolton (who saved Berryhill Fields for nature), and seeing Mike Herbert (the amazing Shelton steelworks / Festival Park reclamation in the 1980s - he's got to be retiring soon) on the cover of the latest Chamber of Commerce magazine. It seems to me that there's mostly still a generation of people around to be interviewed on the topic of how Stoke was made one of the greenest cities in the UK.

Take the idea and run with it, if you like it.

The Last Hedgehog in Staffordshire?

"‘The Last Hedgehog in Staffordshire?’ campaign will see Staffordshire Wildlife Trust offering tips and advice on how people across Staffordshire can help hedgehogs by making a few changes in their gardens."

Charles Tomlinson passes

The Hartshill born and raised poet Charles Tomlinson has passed away, at age 88. There's no wider response yet to the news. His cassette-tape audio book "Charles Tomlinson Reads His Stoke Poems" (Keele University, 1985) is now online for free, in .mp3 format (scroll down to the second collection). An extract from his "The Allotment" was previously on this blog.

Derek Bolton

Sad to hear that Derek Bolton of the Richmond Street Allotments has passed away. The Sentinel has a profile and details today, telling of how he helped save the city's Berryhill Fields heathland for nature, and also created the nature gardens around the New Vic Theatre.

Picture: Derek Bolton on his allotment at the Richmond Street Allotments.

Don't Mess with Stoke

A new short book, Litter-ology: Understanding Littering and the Secrets to Clean Public Places, blends practical citizen science with a practical guide to action on litter. Australian, but with many lessons for the UK. No audio book, but there's a somewhat affordable Kindle edition.

Richmond Street Allotments Open Day - 22nd August 2015

Richmond Street Allotments Produce Show and Open Day, 22nd August 2015.

1.30pm - Gates open to visitors
3.00pm - Produce Sale
3.30pm - Prize Draw and Awards Presentation

Stoke-on-Trent Footway Survey

It's good to see that the new city council in Stoke-on-Trent is inviting bids on a major footpaths mapping and surveying contract, to run over four years — the Footway Asset and Condition Survey for the city.

Moth Night

Moth Night at Hartshill Park, Stoke-on-Trent, Friday 31st July 2015.