Stoke-on-Trent |   17.06.10

Stoke-on-Trent is a proud and great city with a unique history and heritage, and with a billion pound regeneration masterplan that will transform the North Staffordshire region.

The city is the birthplace of legendary footballer Sir Stanley Matthews, singing superstar Robbie Williams and world renowned pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood.

It also the home to 240,000 people and a further four million people flock to the city every year to visit the many tourist attractions on offer in the city and surrounding areas.

Affectionately known throughout the world simply as 'The Potteries', this great British city has rightfully earned a reputation for firing the imagination of its visitors.

The year 2010 is special for this city as it is the 100th anniversary of the federation of the six towns that make up Stoke-on-Trent.

Already this year we have had the opening of the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sporting Hall of Fame, the Royal visit of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Staffordshire Hoard being exhibited in the city, a Citizen of the Century dinner, the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sports Awards with Seb Coe as guest speaker and the 2010k run, to name just a few of the fantastic events we have had so far.

Each event provides the city with an ideal platform with which to showcase the wonderful visitor attraction we have on offer in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.

The history and heritage of the area is well preserved at numerous locations across the city - most notably at the award-winning Gladstone Pottery Museum, the most complete Victorian pottery factory in the UK.

Elsewhere, the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery houses the finest collection of Staffordshire ceramics in the world and

The Victoria Hall and the Regent Theatre play host to some of the UK's finest entertainment.  Visitors are also impressed by the wide range of attractions and activities on offer in and around the city - which is within easy reach of the wide open spaces of the Peak District, and the UK's No.1 visitor attraction, Alton Towers.

Stoke-on-Trent is rapidly changing. Billions of pounds are being ploughed in to improving transport links, entertainment facilities, schools, housing, businesses and shops. Over the next twenty years there are plans in place, as part of the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NSRP), to completely invigorate the Potteries and surrounding North Staffordshire area into a vibrant hub of the Midlands.

The transformations will bring thousands of new homes and jobs, creating a wealth of opportunities for businesses.

The next twenty years will see a new regional shopping centre, extra transport links, a 100,000 sq m Business District and a state-of-the-art bus station in Stoke-on-Trent city centre.

The £1.5 billion investment will bring more than 7000 new jobs with around 100 new businesses and thousands of homes, and see the city thrive as we move into the next decade of the 21st century.

Stoke-on-Trent is also a Cycling City and is committed to getting more people on their bikes and there is a great potential for many more people to cycle in Stoke-on-Trent, whether as a means of transport, for leisure or as a sport.

Events like The Tour Series and The Tour of Britain are fantastic national and international class races that excite and inspire people of all ages.

They represent an opportunity to showcase what we have on offer in this city to people who want to get involved in cycling, in any of its many forms.

These races are supported with local activities and rides to generate a greater awareness of, and interest in, cycling.

There is much to celebrate in Stoke-on-Trent in our centenary year as we continue to show the rest of the UK that the city remains a unique and proud place to live in and to visit.

www.stoke.gov.uk

www.stoke.gov.uk/2010

www.stoke.gov.uk/festivalofsport

www.cyclestoke.co.uk

www.makeitstaffordshire.co.uk

www.visitstoke.co.uk