City awarded £250,000 to preserve heritage

Stoke-on-Trent was once known as the world capital of ceramics

Nearly a quarter-of-a-million pounds of heritage funding has been awarded to Stoke-on-Trent.

The city council said it would use £249,332 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop a plan for preserving the area’s history.

This will include organising forums, workshops, focus groups and online efforts to consult with residents on a heritage framework.

The city is one of the first nine areas to get cash from the National Lottery’s £200m heritage places initiative.

The heritage framework would help to decide which parts of the city's heritage should be prioritised, helping to secure investment in key historic sites, council leader Jane Ashworth said.

Stoke-on-Trent became the world capital of ceramics when it dominated the global pottery industry over several centuries before a decline in the 20th Century.