Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

Parents of a school in Stoke-on-Trent have been asked to start paying a termly fee to help plug a near £300,000 cut in funding. 

St Joseph's College in Trent Vale, external sent a letter to parents this week, asking them to pay £60 per term, per child.

It's optional but the school says, if every parent agreed, it would total £196,000 a year. 

St Joseph's head teacher Melissa Roberts says parents have been supporting the school for 20 years but now they're under increasing financial pressure. 

In the letter she says all money raised, external will be spent to "directly benefit students of this school".

BBC North West Tonight

The RMT union says a 24-hour strike on Northern Rail will go ahead on Friday after talks with management broke down.

Image source, PA

The action is part of an ongoing dispute over staffing and the role of conductors. 

Northern Rail runs several services from Stoke-on-Trent and has previously said it'll be operating a reduced service on 28 April., external

BBC Sport

Chris Eagles hit a stunning late winner to beat Walsall and keep Port Vale's League One survival hopes alive.

The veteran winger hit a superb right-foot angled drive from the edge of the area which arrowed into the top left corner.

Image source, Rex Features

Vale's victory lifts them to within a point of 20th-placed Gillingham.

It also means that neither 19th-placed Bury, a point better off, and 18th-placed Shrewsbury Town are safe going into Sunday's final round of fixtures.

Vale would have to win again at Fleetwood on Sunday to have a chance of staying up, unless Gillingham lose by six goals or more at Northampton - in which case a point would do.

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

Cold, bright and perhaps frosty at first. Sunny spells and occasional showers through the morning. 

More frequent showers during the afternoon, perhaps with the risk of hail and thunder at times. Feeling rather cold. Highs of 10C (50F). 

You can read a full forecast on the BBC Weather page.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Morning everyone, after the dusting of snow in places yesterday, Stoke-on-Trent has woken up to blue skies and sunshine, although it's still cold.

A full weather forecast will be along shortly and there'll be news, sport, travel and other updates through today for Staffordshire and Cheshire.

I'm also keen as ever to see more of your pictures of the area - email them in or put them on Instagram, adding the tag #bbcstoke, external to your description to show you agree to share them.

Chris Eagles hits a stunning late winner to beat Walsall and keep Port Vale's League One survival hopes alive.

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.  

Is this the mantra for all party election strategies for 8 June

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

It's fair to say this is not the greatest of surprises, but it's always good to champion one of our own.

Staffordshire swimmer Adam Peaty has been named in the 29-strong squad for the World Championships in Hungary.

Image source, Getty Images

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

It's going to be another chilly night and the gritters are going out around the region. Lows of 1C (34F).

Follow final score, text, images and social media as Stoke host West Ham in the Premier League.

Ros Chimes
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

An 82-year-old driver is being checked over in hospital as a precaution after his car ended up on its side in a collision in Newcastle.

Paramedics say the local man climbed out of the passenger door of the Ford Fiesta after the crash with a VW Golf on St Michael's Road in Chell Heath.

It happened just before 13:30 - no other parties suffered significant injury.

Image source, Google

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City striker, Peter Crouch, has joined esteemed company by receiving a rare civic award from the Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent.

The award is to honour his 100 goals in the Premier League.

Past recipients include Desmond Tutu on his visit to the city.

Lee Blakeman
BBC Radio Stoke

20 April 2013 was the day that Port Vale sealed promotion back to League One - four years and five days later, this may well be the day that they drop out of it. 

It's not over yet though, and if the team can show half as much fight as the manager Michael Brown did in his playing days, then they have a chance of taking it to the final day.

There's full coverage of Walsall v Port Vale on BBC Radio Stoke tonight from 18:00 in Sport at Six.

Tim Wedgwood
BBC Local Live

A 21-year-old man from Congleton is in hospital with serious injuries after his pick-up truck collided with a transit van in Cheshire early this morning.

It happened on the A537 between Monk's Heath crossroads and the Chelford roundabout.

A 44-year-old woman in the van was airlifted to Royal Stoke Hospital.

The road has reopened.

Image source, Google

Emma Thomas
Political reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

A UKIP MEP for the West Midlands, including Staffordshire, has resigned from a top job in the party, following a proposed "burka ban".

Jim Carver announced this afternoon that he's to stand down as the party's foreign and commonwealth affairs spokesperson following what he describes as a "misguided" integration policy in the party's general election manifesto.

Image source, Getty Images

UKIP has outlined plans to ban the full-face veil traditionally worn by some Muslim women and to introduce the medical examination of some children who might be at risk of female genital mutilation.  

The Sentinel

Council leaders have splashed out taxpayers' cash to buy a former department store as part of moves to transform the city, external centre's "most popular" car park. 

Image source, The Sentinel

Russell Truran
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

A Stoke-on-Trent man has been remanded into custody following a collision with a car left a 14-year-old girl with serious injuries. 

The 26-year-old appeared before magistrates in Newcastle-under-Lyme this morning. 

He's charged with causing grievous bodily harm with intent, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, using a motor vehicle on a road without third party insurance and driving without a licence.

All the charges relate to an incident which took place in Blurton last Saturday which left the teenager with serious leg injuries. 

The man has been remanded into custody to appear at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 22 May.

Jack Dowling
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

Staffordshire and Cheshire police want people to be more aware of the effect stalking can have on victims. 

This week is National Stalking Awareness Week and this year's theme is about recognising the first signs, external.

Image source, Getty Images

The campaign warns that even minor, or seemingly insignificant actions, can cause serious distress. 

The police say warning signs include damaging property, leaving abusive messages and following someone to work.

Staffordshire Newsletter

Sofas and children's toys were among a number of items illegally dumped by fly-tippers, external in villages near Stafford.