Arts & Culture

We are all adapting to the new world and guidance is being released all the time on what we should/shouldn’t be doing.  Keeping on top of it all can be quite a challenge.

Have you ever seen a pillbox? If you’ve driven around the country the answer is probably yes. Many roads pass these little concrete bunkers left over from the wall.

Do you know what pillboxes are? Many of us know these were places for soldiers to shelter from gunfire while being able to shoot back.

Do you know why they were built? Often the clue is in the location of a pillbox, overlooking a road or abridge, even a river or railway; the pillbox would have been to stop the enemy from going any further.

September sees the start of Staffordshire Library and Arts’ and Archive and Heritage’s annual Staffordshire History Festival – a two-month celebration of our local history and cultural heritage in Staffordshire and beyond. This year because of Covid-19 the festival will be taking place online!

A virtual programme of informative posts, quizzes, interesting videos, live online events, crafts and activities for children and families will be posted across the two months of the festival, many produced by our staff, volunteers and local organisations.

Libraries and Arts Service have developed a new online resource of creative activities which includes two programmes - Creative Explorers for children & young people and Createspace for adults and older people: 

Staffordshire’s record office is preparing to reopen to the public from Tuesday 14 July.

The office, on Eastgate Street in Stafford will be open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for two weeks and on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for a further two weeks, before resuming normal opening times from 11 August.  Saturday opening will commence from 22 August reverting back to one per month.

The Kingswood Trust, as many other local charities, have been deprived of their lifeblood of income and donations for several months now (especially with schools being closed down also) and are looking for support from the wider community. 

Staffordshire Archives & Heritage and the William Salt Library are working in partnership to create and deliver the new Staffordshire History Centre.

The project will transform the way the public engage with our services, our collections and create an exciting new visitor experience. We are interested in learning more about your personal experiences of Staffordshire Archives & Heritage (both in person and/or online), as well as some more information about how you spend your leisure time in general.

Micro-grants of up to £200 have been launched today to help not-for-profit creative groups in Stoke-on-Trent share their creativity with people feeling isolated during the Covid-19 Pandemic, as part of #GetCreativeAtHome. 

Round 1: 09 April 2020 to 16 April 2020   |   Round 2: 16 April 2020 to 30 April 2020

The Arts Council are making £160 million of emergency funding available for those organisations and individuals who will need it during this crisis, and they have also changed the funding requirements for individuals and organisations currently in receipt of our funding, to help alleviate pressure on them as best they can.

Creativity is the focus of Staffordshire Day celebrations and organisers Enjoy Staffordshire are looking to hear from artists, creatives, makers, performers, poets, writers, film makers, musicians and anyone who would like to share or showcase their skills and entertain and inform the public through a schedule of live performances, virtual gallery visits/ exhibits, readings, talks and demonstrations, or interactive workshops that people could get involved in from their living room.