Yesterday marked the start of English Tourism Week.
The campaign aims to celebrate England’s diverse, exciting and vibrant sector, and showcase the quality, range and value of English tourism.
I am not biased of course, but I think Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove and Talke is one of those amazing places.
Stoke-on-Trent welcomes 5.2 million visitors per year, bringing in £263 million a year in the city. These visitors come and they see that Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove and Talke is a place to be proud of.
In my maiden speech I highlighted some of the fantastic things that we have, from our cheesy oatcakes, to Port Vale FC, to Ford Green Hall, to the mother town Burslem, the birthplace of both Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor and Robbie Williams.
Not only do we have these, but the ceramics industry is the heartbeat of our city, from Churchill China and Steelite International, to the history of, Middleport Pottery where Peaky Blinders and the Great British Pottery Throw Down are filmed.
Tunstall Market is another key part of what makes our area so great. I have met some of the most amazing people in there, such as Margaret, who really give Stokies the best name.
It is said that World War Two was won in the skies - thanks to a little plane called the Spitfire. In Talke, you can visit the Reginal Mitchell Peace Garden, the Spitfire inventor, yards from where he was born, another iconic piece of tourism.
Standing up for our heritage and tourism, and what makes Stoke-on-Trent great, is one of the passions that made me want to stand as MP in this fantastic area, and one of those areas is Chatterley Whitfield
Colliery. It has been listed as one of the top ten most endangered buildings and structures in 2019 by The Victorian Society, but thanks to the amazing work of Chatterley Whitfield Friends, some buildings have been brought back to use, with sell out tours on Heritage Weekends and important documents saved.
In Kidsgrove you can enjoy walking along the beautiful Trent and Mersey canal to see the Harecastle Tunnel. At one and a half miles long, it was once the longest in the country and has recently been transformed into a scenic walk taking in all the beauty that Stoke-on-Trent, Kidsgrove and Talke has to offer.
From ‘Pitts to Pots’, Stoke-on-Trent ticks all the boxes for a perfect day out and it is great to celebrate the fantastic attributes we have to offer during English Tourism Week.