Archives: Projects

Lunch Club

Lunch Club

Lunch Club is Appetite’s group for Asylum seekers and Refugees who are living in our area. They may be part of a Resettlement programme or have lived experience of migration and are now living in Stoke-on-Trent or Newcastle-under-Lyme (either temporarily or permanently). 

The group come together through shared art and cultural experiences as a way to connect and build community. A wide range of workshops with artists have been delivered, and trips to see exhibitions, festivals and events, in the local area or further afield. As the name suggests lunch, or food, is nearly always a key element to a session.

Members have voiced an interest in learning more about Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme and a desire to feel more connected to their new home here. Lunch Club’s activities have supported this through a range of activities, event, trips and by having a say in our programme.

Lunch Club was created following the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022 and inspired by Appetite’s work with Burslem Jubilee Project. It was shaped together with Ayad Al-Ani, a community decision maker, who has lived experience and is bilingual, creating a safe space for participants through shared understanding, and who is funded by Appetite to be the Co-ordinator. Lunch Club was created to fill a gap, providing additional opportunities for socialising, food, engagement in the arts with artists, engagement in the life of our area and community decision-making of our programme and with others. 

Lunch Club originally met at Newcastle Common, Appetite’s project to show how underused spaces in the town centre could be animated. Since Newcastle Common closed in October 2024 Lunch club has adapted to be hosted in other spaces and visit activity in other places.

From October to December 2024 Appetite received funding from the New Communities Resettlement Fund, to run Lunch Club.

In autumn 2025 Appetite are looking for support and funding to continue our Lunch Club and look ahead to enabling it to become sustainable.  As such we are currently not able to have new members join the group.

Three children are sat on a seat on a park. They are smiling, their heads turned up to the sky to face the sun.
A group of people are looking at artwork in a gallery. One person is stood taking pictures of the artwork on a smartphone,
A large group of people are standing to have their photograph taken outside. There is a large hedge in the background. The group includes children and adults.
Eight people are posing to have their photograph taken inside a room against a blue backdrop. Three of the people are wearing costumes of long dresses and white wigs. The central figure is seated with the other people arranged around them.

Thank you so much it was amazing and I was very happy and every one else

Member after trip to Bolton Gate Farm, Oct 2024

Lunch Club has hosted 1,212 participants (Feb 2022 - Sept 2025)

Lunch Club has run 44 workshops and 33 trips to local or regional art events/museums (Feb 2022 - Sept 2025)

Fun , Meet new people and learn new idea

Member on trip to the Three Counties Open Art Exhibition, August 2025

The image shows a central large table with lots of paper and materials on. A number of people are sat and standing around the table working on various activities.
A group of people are sat down on a coach. They are talking to each other across the asile.
The photograph is taken inside and shows two people sat at a table, with other people in the background. The table is set with cups, saucers and tea pots and one of the people is taking a sip from a tea cup.
The image shows a central large table with lots of paper and materials on. A number of people are sat and standing around the table working on various activities.

Punjab to the Potteries

Punjab to the Potteries is a project inspired by the journeys of people in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme whose families began their story in the Punjab region before settling in The Potteries *.

The idea behind Punjab to the Potteries came to life when Appetite’s then Director, Gemma Thomas met Val Bansal in 2017 during Settling by Sam Ivin, an archive photography exhibition delivered in partnership with GRAIN Projects, which documented through personal photography the stories of those who have migrated from around the world, including South Asia, to establish lives in the Stoke-on-Trent area. 

Val shared that while he had been in the process of sorting through old family photographs to digitise, he realised he had a lot of questions about what it must have been like for his father, Baldev, to move from a small village in the Punjab to work in Stoke as a teenager in the 60s.

  • What was the journey like?
  • How did it feel to leave family behind?
  • How difficult was it to adapt to an entirely new culture?

Bansal family photographs courtesy of Val Bansal.

Nine old photographs are displayed against a cream coloured background with a faint paisley pattern to it. The images are discernably aged back to the 1970s and older. Some are black-and-white, some have orange sepia tones and others are in colour. They show family members in various social situations and a couple of individual headshots of a young South Asian man and woman.

That meeting sparked a relationship that went on to build on Appetite and the New Vic’s work with the communities in the area. During a period of relationship building and co-creation, members of the Punjabi community in Stoke and Newcastle have taken pride in and ownership of Punjab to the Potteries.

In 2023 two new short plays were commissioned, being inspired by the conversation and memories that had been shared by the community. The plays were read in the auditorium at the New Vic during a joyous celebration event; a photographic exhibition was staged of some of the people whose input inspired those plays; and a series of creative workshops and talks took place at Keele University in collaboration with ArtsKeele. Read on to find out more about those events.

Since Punjab to the Potteries, Appetite and New Vic’s commitment to  programming for the wider local South Asian communities has continued. Sensasian debuted in 2024. Learn more on the Sensasian project page.

*The Potteries is the name given to Stoke-on-Trent and surrounding areas in Newcastle-under-Lyme that have been shaped by the pottery industry, and is regarded as the world centre for ceramics to this day.

Community Conversation & Research

April 2023

We asked for members of the Punjabi community in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme to join us in a community conversation.

Two playwrights with close connection to the South Asian community – Shahid Iqbal Khan and Sarah Bedi – were commissioned to write new short plays celebrating and capturing people’s lived experiences of migrating to this area from the Punjab region, or being born here and raised in a Punjabi family.

Shahid and Sarah spoke to people in groups, did one-to-one interviews and visited places of worship to hear stories, form relationships, and inspire their writing. Our thanks go to Guru Nanak Gurdwara & Sikh Cultural Centre, Ramagarhia Sikh Temple, and Porthill Cricket Club for such a warm welcome. . And to New Vic Borderlines for helping us spark old memories and new conversations.

Images by Val Bansal.

Exhibition

August 2023

Portraits by Sam Ivin. Event images by Jenny Harper

Photographic artist Sam Ivin created 23 portraits of people who had shared their story as part of Punjab to the Potteries Community Conversation.

During the process of taking the portraits, Sam took a keen interest in the sitter’s individual stories and used his conversations with them as the basis for the decorations that he hand painted onto each print. Tailored to each individual, they include colourful patterns and symbols inspired by Sikh images and Punjabi fashion.

Initially, the exhibition took pride of place on the walls of the public spaces in New Vic Theatre leading up to the play-reading event. The exhibition was given a second run afterwards in Chapters Cafe on Keele University campus courtesy of ArtsKeele.

Play-reading & Celebration Event

August 2023

Building on the Community Conversations from April, Sarah and Shahid presented their short plays in a play-reading event at New Vic Theatre, directed by Filiz Ozcan and performed by a professional cast.

The event was warm, welcoming and wonderful – a true celebration of the community who gave so much to the project and whose generosity allowed the plays to be written.

During the event, attendees were asked to contribute their thoughts and feedback, as well as giving their ideas on what other events or projects they would be interested in co-creating with Appetite and New Vic Theatre. That feedback was used to inform the work that followed resulting in Sensasian.

Images by Jenny Harper

Two women are in conversation. The lady on the right is wearing a yellow and orange sari dress with a red bindi. She is facing her friend, holding her by the arms and smiling broadly. The lady on the left can be seen mostly from behind and is wearing a multicoloured abstract shirt and has glasses perched on the top of her head. Two men stand around them but we can’t see their faces.
A theatre auditorium in the round is shown from an elevated perspective from the top pf a set of stairs. The seating audience are in the dark but you can see people on the front row quite clearly as they encircle the central stage. In the centre of the stage is a wooden table with red legs and three red wooden chairs arranged around it. We can see an actress from behind speaking to the audience. In her left hand she holds a script and her right is raised and pointing. To her left we can see a man dressed in black providing sign language.
A lady in an orange and yellow sari-style dress is standing behind the food counter at the New Vic Café. She is serving somebody whose back is to us with food from a large silver tray.
A man is standing in front of a seated audience. He can be seen from hip level upwards, but you can tell that he has one foot propped up on something and his knee is raised. He is gesturing out towards the side with his right hand. He’s holding a script looking at and speaking to somebody off screen to the left.
A man in a dark blue shirt with a red Ralp Lauren logo and a mustard yellow turban is standing in front of a group of seated people. He has a big smile on his face. To the left we can see one of the seated group in profile laughing. Other crowd members can be seen in the background of the New Vic Theatre café area.
A man, woman and young woman are sitting on stage around a table with red legs. The background is completely black. On the left-hand side, the woman sit on a red chair. She is casually dressed in jeans, shirt and trainers. She is making a shushing gesture towards to young woman opposite with a finger to her lips. In the middle, the man, dressed all in black, is looking down at some papers on the table. On the right, the young woman is gesturing to the woman opposite with her left hand in the air. She has a black-and-white jumpsuit and glasses. On the table are plates, a bowl and mixing spoon, and papers.
Two women are standing and talking. On the left, one woman wears a bright pink blazer with a cream ruffled top, and a blush shoulder bag. The lady on the right is in a bright green sari and is holding the palm of her right hand up as she speaks. Both ladies are laughing. In the background you can see blurred images of photographic portraits hanging in front of the wall.
Two young men casually dressed in jeans and trainers are sitting on stage on a table with red legs. The backdrop is solid black. The man on the right wears a black turban, while the other wears none. One is speaking, consulting a script that he holds while the other looks at him.
A closeup of a group or people, three seated and two standing. We see the back of two men sitting down who are both wearing suits, one with a red turban. They are facing a young man also in suit and tie who is smiling. Behind him, two men are standing, but we can’t see them above shoulder height. One man has his hand resting on the shoulder of the young seated man, while the other holds out his hand for a shake.
We are looking over the shoulder of a woman in an audience. She has long black hair and glasses that can be seen as she’s facing to her right. In her left hand she is holding a booklet that shows pictures of actors and one of the playwrights along with some text. In her hand she holds an Appetite donation envelope that says: “We hope you enjoyed the show! Donate what you decide. Thank you for your support.”
Two men are on a stage. The background is solid black. One man is seen from behind looking toward the other, who is sitting on a table with red legs. The seated man is holding a script and throwing his head back in laughter.
Gathering feedback

When You Ask                        by Sarah Bedi

1969. A woman leaves the Punjab to forge a future in Stoke-on-Trent. She quickly finds that her husband, her daughter and herself all face different challenges as they struggle to adjust to their new lives.

To integrate or to assimilate? Punjabi or English? And when, oh when, can they go back ‘home’?

A white person is facing the camera against a black background. They have short brown hair and a slight smile in their eyes. The portrait is head and shoulders only nd as they are wearing a white v-neck t-shirt and black v-neck cardigan with brown buttons, the effect is striking against the dark background.

Sarah said:

“It was a real privilege to have people trust us with their personal stories and spaces. The interview process was so enjoyable that the writing process then got kind of hard – because I so wanted to make something that would live up to the trust people had put in us! And now I’m sitting here looking at a nearly finished draft (nearly) … I can only hope that I’ve done what we set out to do!

“Personally, the entire process has been transformational – in learning more about other people and their families, I found I was also learning more about myself and my family. There was this feeling of expanding and of acceptance, that comes from knowledge and connection. And I’ll be eternally grateful for that.”

The Long Bonne Nuit by Shahid Iqbal Khan

Five men from the Punjab are living together in a cramped bedsit in 1960s Stoke. All goes well until their carefully crafted living arrangements are marred by suspicion and intrigue. As tensions boil over, the men begin to see that things cannot stay the same forever. They are at a turning point in their lives, they can either stand still or take the plunge and move forward.

Shahid said:

“What I loved about the process is finding out that separation is merely an illusion. On paper, there are divisions clearly set out, such as the line between India and Pakistan, the varying beliefs between different religions such as Sikhism, Islam and Hinduism. Separatism is the flavour of the hour. Yet, Punjab is a feeling that goes beyond all this. People spoke of travelling into Pakistan Punjab from India Punjab and I was shocked to realise that it was only a 30-minute journey.

“When men came to the UK in the 1960s and 1970s, they would share a house or a flat as a group, often with men from different religious backgrounds. I heard stories of Muslim and Sikh men living together. They bonded because they were from Punjab and because they spoke the same language – Punjabi. These lifelong friendships continue still today. I was really moved by this aspect of our history and I used it as inspiration for my short play.”

Creative Series at Keele

October 2023

Video courtesy of ArtsKeele.

Over three nights, Chapters Cafe at Keele University was the venue of a series of three creative workshops as part of Punjab to the Potteries.

The first workshop focused on the creative writing process. Playwright Sarah Bedi shared her experience of drawing on real people’s stories to create something new. They spoke of the profound connections she felt during her research and took attendees through practical exercises to inspire them in their creative writing endeavours.

Secondly was a Conversation and Q&A with members of the team who discussed the joys and challenges of bringing the project to life. Members of the audience also gave their ideas for future events. You can see a captioned recording of the event on YouTube.

Finally, photographic exhibition artist Sam Ivin took participants through the process of taking their own pictures and creating mini works of art.

Sensasian

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What is Sensasian?

Sensasian is a celebration of art and culture that draws inspiration from, and created in consultation with, the South Asian and wider community in Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

It is a partnership between Appetite and our lead organisation, New Vic, who share our commitment to present a high quality, co-created programme of South Asian artists to be presented at the theatre.

More than just an event …

One of Appetite’s core purposes is to reach out to diverse sections of the community where we live and invite them to experience arts and culture in exciting new ways. As we made relationships with members and leaders of the local South Asian community, we discovered that there was a demand for more local artists to have a platform within Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. Many emphasised that they would need to travel to other cities to engage in South Asian arts events or programmes, and there was a clear call to have more representation of, and access to, the various art forms and cultures within the region closer to home.

The Journey to Sensasian

The journey to Sensasian began back in 2017 with a project called Settling by photographic artist Sam Ivin. Ivin did a three-month residency with Appetite and GRAIN to create a display around migration into the area as part of The Big Feast that year.

Relationships made during Settling led to Punjab to the Potteries in 2022 – a project recording the stories of those whose personal or family stories include moving from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan to work in the potbanks of ‘The Potteries’. This culminated with the commission of two new short plays – by Shahid Iqbal Khan and Sarah Bedi – based on those stories, which had a reading at the New Vic.

As interest in the programme grew, so did the desire to reflect the wider South Asian diaspora. In 2023 Sensasian evolved as the next natural progression,  celebrating South Asian arts and culture. 

Amrit Kaur
Choogh Choogh by Beeja Dance
Bhangra Workshop at Sensasian Family Day
Sensasian Comedy Night with Desi Central
Choogh Choogh by Beeja Dance
Nabil Abdulrashid
Comedian Tommy Sandhu
Sensasian Comedy Night with Desi Central

How does Sensasian get made?

For 2025 the programme has been shaped by a growing number of community decision-makers, in particular from the local South Asian community, but also including people who have an interest in South Asian arts and culture.

The group met over a few months attending community creative consultations at the New Vic Theatre. They reviewed a menu of over 30 performers across Comedy, Dance, Music, Family, Theatre and Film, voting and discussing their favourites. The group were also asked for thoughts on marketing and the overall design of the event. All the comments, thoughts and votes coming from the decision makers have been used to shape the diverse range of performances and activities for the Sensasian 2025 programme.

Sensasian 2025 was amazing!

We will have updates featuring brilliant images from across Sensasian 2025 coming soon. In the meantime, head over to the Sensasian 25 event page to see what was on the menu this year.

Sensasian 2024

2024’s debut Sensasian event was brilliantly received! Across three evening shows and a family fun day, we saw so many new visitors as well as those who regularly attend the theatre or Appetite events. It was an absolute pleasure to welcome people of all ages and backgrounds to this exciting event. And what an event it was!

The evening shows fulfilled the wishes of the decision-makers who wanted to see a broad array of artforms on offer:

  • dance in the form of ROSHNI by Sonia Sabri Company
  • comedy from Desi Central featuring Sukh Ojla, Nabil Abdulrasheed, Tommy Sandhu, and Raj Poojara
  • and mesmerising magic in the form of Jadoo by world-renowned, multi-award-winning magician and west-end star Ben Hart

Take a look at these photos from Sensasian 2024 by Malcolm Hart and Jenny Harper – or go to the Sensasian 2024 event page – to whet your Appetite for this year’s event.

Amrit Kaur
Choogh Choogh by Beeja Dance
Bhangra Workshop at Sensasian Family Day
Sensasian Comedy Night with Desi Central
Choogh Choogh by Beeja Dance
Nabil Abdulrashid
Comedian Tommy Sandhu
Sensasian Comedy Night with Desi Central

Sensasian 2024 was part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Appetite logo in blue. Shows a circular design with a love heard shape inside. Appetite is written below the shape.
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Newcastle Common

Newcastle Common 

Appetite Newcastle Common ran from 2021 to 2024, this project focused reimagining empty shops to the home of art and creativity for the people who use the town centre and bringing artists into Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre through all sorts both in-shop and on the street.

We took an action research approach to create a programme of artist residencies*, programme of exhibitions, workshops and performances for people who live, work and visit to experience and be inspired by, and we developed projects with partners such as Brampton Museum and Art Gallery, Staffordshire County Council Library and many more. 

In conceiving the project, we worked with artist, writer and empty-shops expert Dan Thompson, thank you Dan. Thank you to our team of Project Managers, Duty Managers and volunteers who made the project work.

Newcastle Common is delivered by Appetite in partnership with Newcastle Business Improvement District and is supported by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council. It is funded by the National Lottery through Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme.

*What is an artist residency? When an artist such as a painter, illustrator or performer creates work over a period of times in a particular place. At Newcastle Common, an artist will work in our space as well as creating work for audiences like you to enjoy. 

Hat to the Future
by Holly Johnson

July – October 2024

Hat to the Future was a What Would You Do artist residency project by local hat maker Holly Johnson. Following from her 2021 residency, Holly set out to create three hats inspired by what people in Newcastle-under-Lyme thought fashion in the future would look like. 

Holly documented her hat-making journey with regular videos which can be viewed on our YouTube channel and invited participants to Newcastle Common to try their hand at hat making too. Her three final pieces were displayed in Newcastle Common. 

Image credit I Jenny Harper

Talking Teapots by Scruffy Little Herbert

June 2024

If you could have a cup of tea with anyone in the world, who would it be? What would you ask them?

As part of their residency, artist Scruffy Little Herbert asked participants to decorate a small, ceramic teapot and answer the question if they could have a cup of tea with anyone who would it be? 

The decorated teapots then took pride of place in our Newcastle Common shop window.

Esme’s residency was part of the What Would You Do residency collective. We invited artists who had previously worked with Appetite at Newcastle Common to present us with proposal inspired by what they would like to do next in the space. 

Image credit I Jenny Harper

Madame Deficit
by Kitsch n' Sync

May – June 2024 

Long time friends of Appetite Kitsch n’ Sync returned from Cardiff to Staffordshire in the spring of 2024 as artists in residence. Their aim was to research and develop a comedy-dance theatre show loosely inspired by the life of Marie Antoinette called ‘Madame Deficit’ with help from the people of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The performers took to the street to ask the public questions such as what did they think of the royal family? And if they could invent a new law what would it be? They also had a regal photobooth and some audience members were even put into the stocks. 

Madame Deficit was performed as part of our 10th edition of the Big Feast in Stoke-on-Trent City Centre (Hanley). 

Listen to an interview with Kitsch n’ Sync, recorded as part of the Appetite Takeover on 6 Towns Radio. 
Image credit I PeachyPictures

GAME
by Hunt & Darton

December 2023

Ready, Set, GAME! Comedy duo Hunt & Darton took over Appetite’s Newcastle Common empty shop in December 2023 and turned it into a game shop! Throughout the two days, participants could take part in the Giant Chocolate Game, Not the Great British Bake-off and a Lunge Off, as well as the DIY arcade which replaces machines with humans as well as card games. Participants had the chance to earn tokens which they could redeem in exchange for Christmassy prizes. 

We are proud to have welcomed Hunt & Darton to Stoke-on-Trent countless times, including Radio Local as part of The Big Feast ’18 and Kids Business in Longton 2022.

Image credit I Holly Johnson

LUMA

November 2023

We reopened our Newcastle Common empty space project in style with LUMA by AirGiants as part of Newcastle BID‘s Christmas Light Switch on.

Luma is a nine-metre-long snail who loves an audience. Her presence as she looms above visitors is gentle, welcoming and otherworldly.

As part of the celebrations, audiences could also make their own Hype Badges with Jenny Hunt. We also invited audience members to come along and tell us what they wanted to see in Newcastle Common. 

Image Credit I Andrew Billington 

Women and Girls in Science Day

February 2023 – February 2024 

Working with our partners at Keele University, we have delivered activity at Newcastle Common in celebration of Women and Girls in Science Day, which takes place on 11 February each year. 

The day is an opportunity to promote full and equal promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls (source).

We marked the day across the two years with activities at Newcastle Common where science meets art. Participants took part in activities such as melting fabric, creating colour tones and discovering how clay modelling is used in science! 
Image credit I Andrew Billington

Planet Dance
by FRONTLINEdance

March 2023

In March 2023, two aliens landed in our Newcastle Common space. The only way they could return to their home planet was by mastering the moves of the dance routines of Planet Earth. 

Audience members were invited to come along to share their favourite dance routines, from the floss to foxtrot, the Charleston to the Cha Cha Slide. The final piece was then performed on the streets of Newcastle. 

Planet Dance was brought to you by Appetite in support of the FRONTLINE Arts Festival. ‘What’s all the FAF about?’ is a four-month awareness-raising project from FRONTLINEdance that highlights the creativity and skills of d/Deaf, disabled, and neurodivergent artists culminating in a festival day. FAF aims to increase the number of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists working, commissioned, and showcased in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. 

Image Credit I Pete Stonier
The FRONTLINEdance logo. The image shows the text FRONTLINEdance, performance, health, community
Frontline arts festival logo

TRIBES

October – November 2022

We partnered with Kwanzaa Collective UK* to launch a new month-long exhibition in Newcastle Town Centre titled Tribes: Matabeleland to Staffordshire.

The exhibition showcased the art of Black and Brown artists living and working in Staffordshire, and was part of a cultural exchange with artists in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe. The exhibition ran concurrently with an exhibition in Matabeleland.

Artworks on display included photography, film and digital painting reflecting on the theme of cultural heritage and documenting aspects of rich African culture such as body art, ceremonial dress, beadwork and piercings, their practice and relevance today. Work by the Staffordshire artists also explored lived experience of how their African cultural identity informs their life in the UK.

Image Credit I Holly Johnson

Life, Clay & Everything
by Keith Brymer-Jones

February 2022

Ceramicist and The Great Pottery Thrown Down judge Keith Brymer-Jones celebrated his life’s work in our 23 High Street space. The exhibition coincided with the release of his autobiography The Boy In A China Shop: Life, Clay and Everything. 

Flora ceramic artist and designer Rita Floyd was specially selected by Keith Brymer-Jones as the artist-in-residence during his exhibition. Rita hosted drop-in sessions where audience members could try their hand at making their own clay flowers. 

Podcast credit I Jerome Whittingham

Light Over Winter

January 2022

The Light Over Winter exhibition featured photographs produced by participants of Appetite and GRAIN Photography’s Our People, Our Places project, which celebrated the locations, residents, people and places of Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and surrounding areas. 

The work was created during workshops and explores one of the key fundamentals of photography – Light, through various photographic techniques such as Lumen Printing and Long Exposures, the photographs also reflect on the Winter Season. 
Podcast & Image credit I Jerome Whittingham

Newcastle Common Library

August 2022 – October 2024

Our Newcastle Common library was created as an extension of the collections available at Staffordshire Libraries. 

Our library housed books by underrepresented authors featuring stories about people from every walk of life and exploring diversity. Books could be loaned by existing Staffordshire Libraries members and people could also sign up for memberships with us. 

Various activities have taken place in our library over the years, included a Silent Book Club started by Appetite volunteer Deb and a book-drop in Newcastle Town Centre, with books provided by the National Literacy Trust. 
Image credit I Jenny Harper

Urban Clay
by Sally Fitchard

September – October 2022

In Autumn 2022 businesses in Newcastle Town Centre contributed to our very own clay town! Artist-in-residence Sally Fitchard asked local businesses to create a shoebox version of their very own store. Responses were really creative and varied!

Sally then invited members of the public to come in and create their very own clay buds – small people created using air-dry clay to populated the paper town created in Newcastle Common. 

Image credit I Natalie Willatt & Jenny Harper 

Featured

September 2022 – October 2024

Since 2020, the Appetite Audience Choice Award has been an included category as part of the Three Counties Open Art Exhibition hosted by Arts Keele. In 2022, we introduced Featured; an exhibition of artwork in our Newcastle Common space featuring the winners of the various prizes associated with the exhibition. 

Members of the public have been able to see the stunning award winning works of art in our Newcastle Common spaces. Appetite also selected one of the award winners as an artist in residence during the time of the exhibition.

Images I Featured 2023

Image Credit I Nat Willatt
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Image credit I Jenny Harper

Depositry of the Dull by Siobhan Mcaleer

February 2022 – ???

The Depository of the Dull (DEPOD) was a moving, roving, living, gallery, museum and cabinet of curiosity, collecting up stories and histories of people and spaces through objects. The Depository of the Dull and their curator, Shiv, invited people to come down to Newcastle Common to share their everyday, extraordinary, extravagant objects with a great story to be part of an exhibition.

DEPOD worked with the Brampton Museum & Art Gallery and Newcastle Common to collect as many objects and stories as possible from and about the people of Newcastle for online and in-person exhibitions.

Following the project, there was an exhibition of discoveries at our Newcastle Common Astley Walk space. Some objects were also included in an exhibition at Brampton Museum & Art Gallery. 

Peace

November 2022

Peace is a series of projects and activities by artist-in-residence Dan Thompson. Peace was launched at Newcastle Common in November 2022 and will continue until the artist dies.

Newcastle-under-Lyme was the perfect place for Peace to begin as it takes inspiration from Newcastle-born Vera Brittain. A pacifist, author and campaigner,  Brittain’s family owned a papermaking business, with mills in Hanley and Cheddleton.

Dan’s residency explored Vera’s story through her connection with the town and remembering her paper-making ancestry and also included a live-brief for local college students to respond to. Their responses were included in an exhibition at Newcastle Common, as pictured. 

Green Town

April 2022

From the impact of food wasted by supermarket chains to the carbon cost of demolishing buildings that could be repurposed, we brought together artists, writers, performers, and thinkers who looked at the role of our town centre in saving the environment.

Green Town ran across our two shops at 23 High Street and Astley Walk, with some activities taking place outside those spaces. Work included a Green Town Exhibition including a reading room of books to help visitors feel inspired; Text Works by Jon Paul Green of various quotes painted onto the ground of Newcastle town, WILD I LIFE The Pat Callaghan Collection, an installation of the work of the last environmental campaigner brought together by her son Danny Callaghan and the Green Diagnosis Van, an interactive and fun performance offering green prescriptions for health and political engagement. 

Appetite for More

2021 

A Tri Services Veteran Support Centre and Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust funded project which aimed to give local veterans and their families a place to be creative and a taste for the arts. 

The Appetite for More group would meet regularly at Newcastle Common and take part in craft activities. The group also met outside of Newcastle Common and attended Appetite takeaways.

Image credit I Jenny Harper

Road Movie
by Simon Warner

December 2021 

We worked with the Brampton Museum & Art Gallery to create an artist residency, inviting people to respond to the museum’s 2D collection of paintings, photographs, prints and drawings as an inspiration to produce new work.

Simon became fascinated with Newcastle-under-Lyme’s past as a key location on the London – Carlisle stagecoach route. By accessing the museum’s 2D collection online, by researching and visiting Newcastle-under-Lyme, he pieced together this largely forgotten history of the market town. 

His film showcases the town today, but also evokes its past, interweaving the museum’s collection with his specially filmed re-enactment of the coaching route through the town. An atmospheric sound track accompanies the film by singer songwriter David Boulton.

Open Up by Ian Mood

August 2021

During his artist residency at Newcastle Common, Ian’s collection focused on the faces and places that make Newcastle town centre the wonderful place it is. The work came from Ian spending time on the streets of the town centre earlier in the year, talking to people and drawing them and the situations he saw.

The exhibition was then on display in the Newcastle Common shop for members of the public to enjoy. Ian also documented his residency with a series of blogposts. 

Image credit I Jenny Harper

The Hatstory of
Newcastle-under-Lyme
by Holly Johnson

January – Februry 2021 

As our first Newcastle Common artist-in-residence, local hat maker Holly Johnson set out to uncover Newcastle’s hat making past. Holly invited members of the public to share their memories and pictures of hats of the past

She created two hats inspired by her discoveries: a town crier hat and an Edwardian hat. You can check out every stage of Holly’s process over on our YouTube channel. 

The Big Feast

Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds

The countdown is ON for the tastiest event of the summer as The Big Feast returns to the streets of Stoke-on-Trent Centre (Hanley) this Friday 22 and Saturday 23 August 2025! Head over to the Big Feast event page to keep up to date with artist announcements and details of the day.

THE BIG FEAST

A joyous love letter to Stoke-on-Trent and its people …

Appetite launched The Big Feast – a festival-style event in Stoke-on-Trent City Centre (Hanley) – in 2014 as a free, outdoor event where art and artists pop up in streets, buildings and underused spaces of the city centre. It’s a feast of accessible, family-friendly fun to tickle everybody’s taste buds, giving you a summer holiday weekend unlike any other. How do we know? Because people tell us they come back year after year!

Over the years (with a break in 2020 due to Covid restrictions) we’ve hosted the very best artists from all over including local and national artists, and even performers and groups from across Europe. Wherever they live, they come together in Hanley to fill the streets with culture and give thrilled audiences a unique arts experience made especially for Stoke-on-Trent. From the unbelievable to the heart-warming to the jaw-dropping, every year is a unique assortment of some of the best that outdoor arts has to offer. Yet year after year one thing remains constant: The Big Feast creates lasting memories for all who come along.

In the words of Appetite Director Rachel Adams:

“At Appetite, we believe everyone should have access to creativity and culture. That’s why The Big Feast is free, welcoming and bursting with variety – there’s something here for everyone.

“Whether you want to be wowed, uplifted, moved or simply entertained, we hope this year’s programme brings a little more colour and joy to your day. This is YOUR Big Feast, and we’re glad you’re part of it.”

You can see some of those amazing moments from The Big Feast 2014 – 2023 in this stunning A-Z, which had pride of place as a print exhibition at our lead organisation New Vic Theatre in the run up to 2024’s event.

A is for Audience: The Spurting Man by Avanti Display at The Big Feast 2017
B is for Birds: Falconry Dismay by Dizzy O'Dare at The Big Feast 2023
C is for Community: Parade by Kwanzaa Collective UK and community members at The Big Feast 2023
D is for Dance: Seeing Me by FRONTLINEdance at The Big Feast 2019
E is for Everyone: Holding by Rosana Cade The Big Feast 2016
F is for Fabulous: Disco Tea Party by Fatt Projects at The Big Feast 2021
G is for Get Physical: The Audition Project by Miss High Leg Kick at The Big Feast 2017
H is for High Street: Urban Astronaut by Highly Sprung at The Big Feast 2017
I is for Inspiring: Sorriso by Teatro Só at The Big Feast 2019
J is for Joy: Bill & Bobby by Stopgap Dance performed by Dave Toole OBE and Amy Butler at The Big Feast 2016
K is for Kids: Alice in Wonderland by Royal Ballet and Opera at The Big Feast 2017
L is for Loud: Punk Alley by Moxie Brawl at The Big Feast 2022
M is for Music: Mr Wilson's Second Liners at The Big Feast 2015
N is for New Experiences: Carousel by Southpaw Dance Company at The Big Feast 2015
O is for Opera: The Lost Opera by Ashley Peevor & Nikki Watson at The Big Feast 2022
P is for Poetry: The Poetry Takeaway with Peter Hayhoe at The Big Feast 2014
Q is for Quiet: Cloudscapes by Gobbledegook Theatre at The Big Feast 2019
R is for Roaming: Willy & Wally by Coco Loco at The Big Feast 2022
S is for Swing: Look Up by Hikapee Theatre at The Big Feast 2019
T is for Take Part: H.O.H. by Far From the Norm at The Big Feast 2017
U is for Unusual: The Wheelhouse by Acrojou at The Big Feast 2014
V is for Volunteers: Appetite volunteers at The Big Feast 2019
W is for Wow: Rien N’est Moins Sur (…mais c’est une piste) by Collectif de la Bascule at The Big Feast 2015
X is for Xtraordinary: Weighting by Extraordinary Bodies Community Choir at The Big Feast 2015
Y is for Young at Heart and Y Not? The Promettes by Miss High Leg Kick at The Big Feast 2014
Z is for Zero Days Left! Do What Ya Mama Told Ya by Just More Productions at The Big Feast 2022

How does The Big Feast get made?

The Big Feast is delivered by Appetite in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent City Centre Business Improvement District (BID) and Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The event is funded annually by our partnerships with City Centre BID and the National Lottery through Arts Council England’s Creative People and Places programme. 

We could not deliver The Big Feast without our production partner PH Production Services who help us build what you see on the day and create a safe environment for performers and audience members alike.

How is the programme chosen?

Appetite work with many groups and individuals in diverse communities across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. We enlist the opinions of these community decision makers to help shape our entire programme, including the performances that you see at The Big Feast.

In 2024 we consulted with 12 community groups and over 450 individuals to create the event programme. This included members of Appetite’s Supper Club, Lunch Club, and our volunteers. Others got involved through Amity Hub, Walk Talk Action, North Midlands LGBT+Older People’s Group, Staffordshire Sight Loss Association, dDeaflinks Staffordshire, DEAFvibe, Lifeworks Staffordshire, Keele Chapel Craft Club, Keele Student Chapel Fellowship, NORSACA, Carelink, Middleport Matters, Staffs CAN, Keele SU Volunteering Network, and Pride in Castle.

The Big Feast 2024 – 10th edition – featuring Luminarium!

On Friday 23 and Saturday 24 August 2024 Appetite celebrated The Big Feast 2024 in brilliant fashion! Performers from the worlds of music, street theatre, circus, dance and more joined us. Young or old, returning visitor or first-timer, there was something for everybody to enjoy over two days of free, exhilarating arts on the streets across 13 locations. The 10th edition of The Big Feast truly was a joyous celebration, and a timely pick-me-up for Stoke-on-Trent.

Circus Raj came from India dancing on a bed of nails while experimental brass band Perhaps Contraption led people all across the centre on The Journey. Ghetto Fabulous sashayed the house down and spread beams of love and positivity too as New Vic Borderlines’ hit play The Miner Birds was performed to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1984 miners’ strike. And dance was high on everybody’s itinerary with powerful Hip Hop from Just Us Dance Theatre, a 1950s Twist-off with Miss High Leg Kick, and FRONTLINEdance* presenting Breakthrou’ effortlessly integrating disabled and non-disabled performers.

Our greatest thanks for a smooth-running event go to the Appetite team, our production partner PH Production Services, suppliers and freelance team and our project partners: Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and Genr8 at Smithfield Stoke with the support of many people across many departments of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. We are also very grateful to venues in the city centre who partnered with us to either deliver performances or as a space to support staff, volunteers and performers including Longest Boardgame Bar & Cafe, Victoria Hall, Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, AirSpace Gallery, and The Potteries Centre. And nobody could forget the amazing potato van run by B-Arts that kept everybody warm and fed throughout both days.

This year, The Big Feast celebrations started early when Luminarium descended on Hanley Park from Wednesday 14 – Friday 16 August. Luminarium is an extraordinary inflatable labyrinth of calming soundscapes and enveloping lights from Architects of Air by Alan Parkinson. So anticipated was the event that pre-bookable tickets sold out within 24 hours! Thanks to Hanley Park for hosting the event which was part-funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

See the sights, hear audience reactions and see fantastic photographs in the videos below. You can also enjoy videos of live streams from The Big Feast over on our YouTube Channel.

The Big Feast Through the Years

Not just the city centre …

Did you know that The Big Feast has also popped up in communities around Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme? Taster Tours have given people a glimpse of what they can expect more of if they were to come along to the main event.

2022 Taster Tour at Kidsgrove
2021 Taster Tour at Middleport
2016 Taster Trentham Gardens
2016 Taster Tour at Spode
2016 Taster Tour at Portland Inn
2016 Taster Tour in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre
2015 Taster Tour at Freeport, Talke (now Affinity)
2015 Taster Tour at Fegg Hayes

Thank you for so many wonderful memories!

We would like to say a great big THANK YOU to everybody who has come along, joined in and enjoyed something new at The Big Feast. If you have any feedback you’d like to give us, we’d love to hear it! Simply email us on askus@appetite.org.uk.

Over the past 10 editions we are fortunate to have built meaningful and lasting relationships with many people and organisations who have played a role in funding and delivering The Big Feast. We owe our thanks to lots of people, first and foremost our consortium who support us in all that we do.

We are proud to have been a network partner of  Without Walls. Offsite led by Déda.

Credits

Videography by Junction 15.

Photography by: Jenny Harper Photography, Andrew Billington Photography, Phil Radcliffe Photography, Clara Lou Photography, Malcolm Hart Photography & Film, Chris Patrick Photography, and Steve Eggleton.

*FRONTLINEdance have a brilliant Access & Inclusivity Toolbox available on Dropbox to anybody who would like to examples of best practice in making their practice more inclusive.

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A Canalside Arcana

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We asked the people of Etruria how they felt about where they live …

Appetite were appointed creative producers by Canal & River Trust – who were awarded funding by the Stoke-on-Trent UK Shared Prosperity Fund – to deliver what has become A Canalside Arcana in the Etruria area. The project aims to celebrate this stretch of the Caldon Canal, engaging with the community to form something lasting on this historic part of the waterway and to raise awareness that the canal is a shared local resource to be used.

To  make sure that any art produced truly reflected the people who live along that stretch of canal, we simply asked them!

We created a mailing that was sent to over 3,000 homes in the Etruria area. People were asked to write down what they like about living there, and what they thought Etruria would be if it were a colour and a plant. We placed a giant yellow postbox in the area, asked people to post their responses into it and waited for their ideas.

In tandem with this our team reached out to community groups, bringing them to the canal for walks or sessions and gaining their thoughts and ideas too about the area and what they might want to see appear to celebrate this place. We attended the Etruria Canal Festival, to also ask the many people who attended for their thoughts.

How do you turn great feedback into great art?

Having spoken to lots of people and gathered comments though the postbox, we came up with a vision shaped by it all. Nature was a constant theme in the feedback. The nature of the historic waterway meant that a trail would be sympathetic to the setting and would also give a reason to take a stroll along the canal, connecting Etruria to Hanley Park, another local greenspace resource and encouraging everyone to make more use of it.

Using Appetite’s knowledge and expertise Anna Francis, a local artist whose work focusses on nature and who recently delivered the project Nature Recovery along the Kidsgrove stretch of canal, was approached to come up with an idea. Anna designed and has now created A Canalside Arcana.

Community engagement has been a constant throughout this whole project with community members helping to create two of the final plaques.

Two rows of people bend over wither side of a long trestle table, working with clay.

What exactly is A Canalside Arcana?

arcana (noun)

  1. secrets or mysteries
  2. either of the two groups of cards in a tarot pack

A Canalside Arcana is a series of eight ceramic plaques lining the canal path from Etruria to Hanley Park that celebrate the nature that can be found in each spot. There is also a pack of beautifully hand-drawn cards filled with interesting information about the trees and plants you encounter along the way. Anna’s arcana cards highlight the characteristics associated with the flora and fauna included on the panels as well as delving into some interesting local folklore!

Did you know that artist Anna Francis even created the handwritten font used on the cards?

You can take the walk by yourself!

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Follow the map to discover the plaques along the route. You can find the text for screen readers on the Arcana Plaques page or download a large print PDF of the plaque info with the text and map.

The text for the Arcana cards with information on the nature found on the canal path including whether it is edible or poisonous, any associated folklore, and general uses and info, are available on the Arcana Cards page, and you can also download a large print PDF of the Arcana cards text with drawings.

If you are interested in any future guided walks or activities along the A Canalside Arcana trail, or for queries relating to the project, contact Julianne Joyce for Canal & River Trust on Julianne.Joyce@canalrivertrust.org.uk

A Canalside Arcana has been been made possible with funds from Stoke-on-Trent City Council‘s UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The Appetite logo in blue. Shows a circular design with a love heard shape inside. Appetite is written below the shape.
Print
sotcc

Credits:

Photography by Glen Stoker. Thank you to everybody who took part in the consultation process including photographer Natalie Willat, Walk Talk Action, Staffordshire Sight Loss, Stoke-on-Trent College, University of Staffordshire, Appetite and Canal & River Trust volunteers, and of course, the community of Etruria.

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Projects in Middleport

Appetite and Middleport Matters

Appetite and Middleport Matters are working together to bring more arts and cultural experiences to the Middleport area.

We want to give Middleport residents more chances to get involved, have a go and try something new. 

Read on for details of the projects delivered as part of this exciting partnership, and other partners that have been crucial along the way.

Magical Middleport Winter

January 2024

In January, we illuminated the historic mill building alongside presenting four illuminated pieces on the canal and in Middleport Park for A Magical Middleport Winter, created for people local to bring a little light to blue Monday in Middleport.

We were excited to welcome: 

Rockpool by Air Giants a multi-sensory experience that audiences are welcome to walk through and around. The creatures can be touched and squeezed. Each one has its own voice and can move, curling up to half their height or stretching open in response to visitors.

 Shadowplay by Wild Rumpus is a beautiful, playful experience where audiences of all ages can step into an imaginative world of light and shadow, exploring and playing together, conjuring shapes, characters and stories.

Amber Lights by Seed of Life is a dome-shaped structure of interlocking panels. Each panel is covered with an iridescent film that produces a range of colours, offering a more interactive visual experience that celebrates the merging of art and technology. 

Nova by Studio Vertigo is based around the mythical Star of the East that astronomers now believe to be a nova – an astronomical event that causes a star to appear brighter. Experience the mighty and dazzling Nova come to life.

Image credit I Andrew Billington

Illustration of two purple bottle kilns next to each other with a white house shape standing in front. Inside the house is a red heart. Middleport Matters is pelt out beneath
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With thanks to the funder of the event:

Image shows one of the wingwalls of Mill Bridge in Middleport painted with a bright mural in primary colours. The ground is frosty and a cyclist stops to admire the painting.

Image credit I Andrew Billington

Middleport Links

March – December 2022

Middleport Links asked locals to help design a ceramics-themed space around the Middleport entrance to the canal towpath. Over a series of workshops activities exploring nature, heritage – and of course clay – brought the community together to shape this special space, which included helping clear and plant the grassed area around the bridge.

Drawing inspiration from female ceramic artists Charlotte Rhead, Susie Cooper and Clarice Cliff, and with guidance from Clay Comrades, residents got to work painting bricks and creating their own terracotta tiles to be included in the installation. Lead artist Sarah Fraser of British Ceramics Biennial took everybody’s ideas and produced a style and colour scheme that would flow from the tiles at ground level up onto Mill Bridge itself. 

Sarah then worked closely with artist Rob Fenton, who produced a vibrant mural onto the brick to add impact and flow of the work going from towpath up to the bridge.

This project has not only given those who live in Middleport a beautiful visual representation of the pride they feel in their area, it has also been a great opportunity for the local schoolchildren who got involved to learn more about the iconic designs that The Potteries are famous for.

Middleport Links was jointly funded by Middleport Matters and Canal & River Trust whose support, help and knowledge were invaluable to a project taking place within the conservation area. 

Image credit I Connor Wells, Middleport Matters, Rob Fenton, Sarah Fraser

The Appetite logo is an illustration of a blue circle with the end of a fork overlaid in white. Inside the bowl of the fork is a blue heart and, on top of that, is the numeral 10 in white
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Pink on a white background. Text reads 'British Ceramics Biennial'. down the left-hand side is a continuous thick pink line that runs vertical and creates loops that look like lowercase letters 'bcb'
A dark blue line drawing against a white background shows a circle with a representation of a bird made out of the uppercase letters S and F inside.
Fragmented black text on a white background spells out Rob Fenton
The words 'Chasing Christmas are in cream script over a dark green background. In fainter green you can see illustrations of an owl, binoculars, a pocket watch and a boot

Chasing Christmas

December 2022

Oh no! Somebody very special went missing, and the residents of Middleport were recruited by Agent Peace and Agent Goodwill to become members of the Ministry of Christmas and help save the day!

Bringing the community together for this immersive Christmas adventure – just for them – gave everybody who attended a real festive boost. Stories, song and play connected the people of Middleport to what Christmas truly means to them, and to each other. By the time they walked out through the snow, treat in hand, people were filled with as much festive spirit as they were hot chocolate!

Image credit I Jenny Harper

The Appetite logo is an illustration of a blue circle with the end of a fork overlaid in white. Inside the bowl of the fork is a blue heart and, on top of that, is the numeral 10 in white
Illustration of two purple bottle kilns next to each other with a white house shape standing in front. Inside the house is a red heart. Middleport Matters is pelt out beneath

With thanks to the funder of the event:

Just For You: Middleport

March – June 2021

It began with a postcard. The postcard went to households in Middleport, asking the community for their favourite memory of living in the area, what they love about Middleport and their favourite places. A special post box waited for all the replies – and there were many.

Three artists pored over every single response to help them come up with a design that represented the heart of Middleport, to be painted as a mural on the gable end of a row of terraced houses. When artists Florence Blanchard, Tom Addis and Tozer, completed their designs, the community voted on which they’d like to see come to life.

After getting the most votes, Florence began the work on her winning design on 7 June, and a small community event was held on 12 June for people to see her put the final touches to the mural. The postcard responses were also given to three local songwriters, who were commissioned to write three ‘Songs of Middleport‘. You can find the songs on the Appetite Soundcloud channel:

We’ll Be Alright 

by 

Nixon Tate

Canalside 

by 

Kez Liddle

Middleport 

by 

Ledouu

In a world of lockdown, this project helped the community feel like they were still connected by creating something together. Using nostalgia but also looking to the future, this house-sized work of art shows Middleport residents’ pride in their community!

The project was created and delivered with close collaboration between Appetite, Middleport Matters and We are Cülla.

Image credit I Rob Fenton

The Appetite logo is an illustration of a blue circle with the end of a fork overlaid in white. Inside the bowl of the fork is a blue heart and, on top of that, is the numeral 10 in white
Illustration of two purple bottle kilns next to each other with a white house shape standing in front. Inside the house is a red heart. Middleport Matters is pelt out beneath
We Are Culla written in black. Culla is spelt C U L L A. There is an umlaut over the 'U
Brightly painted pieces of bamboo sit on a table.

Image credit I Jenny Harper

The Appetite logo is an illustration of a blue circle with the end of a fork overlaid in white. Inside the bowl of the fork is a blue heart and, on top of that, is the numeral 10 in white
Illustration of two purple bottle kilns next to each other with a white house shape standing in front. Inside the house is a red heart. Middleport Matters is pelt out beneath
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Imagine Bamboo at Middleport

June 2021 – August 2022

Imagine Bamboo is a collaboration with Imagineer and independent artistic director, Orit Azaz, that began two years ago as part of Imagineer’s Bridge project. The project engages people with storytelling, creativity and hands-on activities while informing them about bamboo’s role in the future of building as a sustainable material

In 2021 Middleport Matters were involved with the Taking Root project devised by artist Ling Tan in collaboration with Imagineer and Orit Azaz. Bamboo ‘parents’ cared for baby borinda plants in their homes, sharing observations and co-ordinating on the growing process. Plant Ceremonies at Root ‘n’ Fruit community garden took place where three of the bamboo babies were planted. 

As part of Imagine Bamboo R&D 2022, local artist Chloe Rickett held workshops with the Middleport community to explore creative ideas using borinda bamboo – from structures to musical instruments! Over six weeks, participants explored bamboo’s versatility, working together to create a giant windchime for the Middleport Matters team as a thank you for all they do in the community.

Many got to try their hand at new practical and artistic skills including painting, sawing and drilling. and asked when they could work with bamboo again!

Find out more Appetite’s ongoing collaboration with Imagineer on our Bridge to Bamboo project page.

Imagine Bamboo

Appetite & Imagine Bamboo

Bridge2Bamboo R&D 2020 – 22

A collaboration with Imagineer and independent artistic director, Orit Azaz, that began 2 years ago, as part of Imagineer’s Bridge project.

In Summer 2020, Appetite hosted a Bridge Kit, inspired by Leonardo da Vinci’s design for a self supporting bridge. In line with the themes of the project, we invited local groups to come together to build bridges in outdoor public spaces and to connect with each other after many months of lockdown. 

At the same time, we recorded conversations with residents of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Kidsgrove about their experiences of building bridges – and burning bridges – in their lives and families to create Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-Under-Lyme Bridge Stories Podcast, produced by writer Nick Walker.

Imagineer and Orit wanted to build on these conversations and bridge building activity by inviting people to design and build installations in outdoor spaces in their neighbourhoods which could then come together to form something spectacular. Together, we embarked on Bridge2Bamboo R&D in 2021, with a virtual Bamboo Creative Exchange Lab, bringing together bamboo specialists from Ghana, India and Bali to share skills and expertise with artists, designers and engineers in the UK. Local architect Kim Mountford and Appetite’s Community Participation Co-ordinator Sammy Bishop joined the lab and then used the bamboo model making skills they learnt to develop creative conversations with groups about structures they would like to see in outdoor spaces in their neighbourhoods.

Taking Root

We discovered that bamboo is widely viewed, by engineers, architects, green entrepreneurs, academics and environmentalists, as one of the most sustainable materials on the planet for design, construction, business, soil remediation and carbon capture. In Imagine Bamboo 2022, we’ve explored what we can create, design, build and grow with UK grown borinda bamboo. 

‘Taking Root’ Project devised by artist Ling Tan in collaboration with Imagineer and Orit Azaz. 17 bamboo parents cared for baby borinda plants in their homes, sharing observations and co-ordinating with each on the growing process, before taking part in Plant Ceremonies at Keele University and at Root n Fruit. 

During the ceremony, parents and participants in the project came together to meet Orit and Ling and  planted 11 of the plants at Keele Hall walled garden allotments. Another 3 plants were planted at Root n Fruit in Middleport. The school group from St John’s attended along with Michael Brisbane (bamboo expert) and others from Keele University. We moved onto Root n Fruit to plant their plants at their allotment afterwards.

Imagine Bamboo R&D 2022

Local artists Francesca Wheeler, Chloe Rickett and Monica Cru-Hall worked alongside artists from Liverpool City Region and bamboo specialists from Bali, India, Ghana, Australia and UK at the Imagine Bamboo Summit, commissioned by Commonwealth Games and presented as part of Birmingham 2022 Festival. They also held activities for the public at Dancing Through The Decades in June, Better World Festival in July and brought the work with communities from the area together at the Big Feast on 27 August.

They also worked with The Portland Inn project, All Saints Garden, Knutton and Middleport Matters to explore creative ideas for structures and musical instruments using borinda bamboo!

Imagine Bamboo at Keele University 23 …

In March 2023, as part of Keele University Green Festival, Appetite and Imagineer, along with Atelier One and ArtsKeele, worked together to build a prototype 6-metre-high arch swing made from UK-grown borinda bamboo. The arch was a recreation of an original created for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Building it on campus was the culmination of lots of collaboration with a whole host of innovators from the worlds of art, environmental science and structural engineering, with the aim of increasing stability. This larger-than-life experiment aimed to create a structure that could support a usable swing.

And it’s fair to say that the experiment was a resounding success. Volunteers and professionals came together in a huge community build over three days. Once tested for stability, over 150 people (and two dogs) enjoyed the swing on the day. Not only that, circus artist-engineer brought a world first with  stunning cloud swing performances on the arch!

… and beyond!

We’re excited to continue to work with this incredible material and to see what new ideas take root in our area as part of Imagine Bamboo 2023!

Appetite, along with our partners, want to make sure that the global research into bamboo continues right here in Stoke and Newcastle. We aim to develop a legacy project to stay connected to the work locally.

If you’re interested in joining the conversation and learning how you can be involved, please get in touch askus@appetite.org.uk

As for Imagine Bamboo, it’s been on tour throughout summer 2023 across Liverpool and will be heading to more towns and cities soon. Follow the journey over at the Imagine Bamboo is Everywhere 2023 web page!

And if you were a part of Taking Root, or any stage of our bambo adventure over the last few years, let us know what you loved, learned and are doing now. Are you growing your own bamboo? Show us a picture on Facebook @appetite.stoke or Instagram @appetite_stoke 🎍😊👍

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Imagine Bamboo is supported by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Council.

Images by Jenny Harper Photography 

Video by Juntion15

This is Kidsgrove

This is Kidsgrove

Appetite have been working with GoKidsgrove and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council to deliver This is Kidsgrove!

We invited the businesses and employees of Kidsgrove to share a photograph of their local business and their staff to be transformed into an illustration by Lauren Ward of Nova & Me.

The illustrations will be featured as part of a map of Kidsgrove, which will be found in the town centre, encouraging people to support the wonderful businesses right on their doorstep. 

This is Kidsgrove is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. 

A colourful illustrated map of the businesses in Kidsgrove town centre.
The Appetite logo is an illustration of a blue circle with the end of a fork overlaid in white. Inside the bowl of the fork is a blue heart and, on top of that, is the numeral 10 in white

This is Kidsgrove is funded by

Projects in Kidsgrove

Appetite and Kidsgrove

As part of Appetite’s work in the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme we now have developed lots of projects which have been delivered in Kidsgrove. 

We have been working with a number of partners in the area to help create amazing opportunities and experiences. We’ve worked with our consortium partner Go Kidsgrove, Canal & River Trust and Realise and have worked closely with The Kings School.

Appetite and Canal & River Trust have worked together to develop a number of arts and cultural projects to better connect the Trent & Mersey Canal, town centre and train station:

Down the Rabbit Hole

Friday 24 & Saturday 25 March 2023

We made our second journey Down the Rabbit Hole in March 2023, working with Illuminos to light the canal. They worked with students at The Kings C of E School to create a second projection which could be seen on a bridge across the canal. We also brought back the lanterns created by B Arts and had an installation created by members of the Bright Ideas project. 

Image credit I Andrew Billington

Bright Ideas

January – March 2023

In January, we invited the women in Kidsgrove to be involved in a lighting project whereby they would work alongside expert lighting designer Daniella Beatie to create an installation to be featured along the canal. The participants also included young women at The Kings C of E school in Kidsgrove and their creation could be seen as part of our second Down the Rabbit Hole event. 
Image credit I Andrew Billington

Down the Rabbit Hole

Saturday 26 March 2022

Appetite and Canal & River Trust worked with story, projection and sound artists: Illuminos, who explored ideas connected to Harecastle Tunnel and worked with The Kings C of E School to create a stunning projection which was showcased at Harecastle Tunnel at our Down The Rabbit Hole event.

Small lanterns also lined the way along the tow path, created by our friends at B Arts with support from Newcastle-under-Lyme’s Borough Council and funding by the European Regional Development Fund and HM Government through Welcome Back funds. 
Image credit I Clara Lou Photography

Appetite Taster Day

Saturday 26 March 2022

We were excited to host a free day packed with activities and performances taking place at the Victoria Hall in Kidsgrove, giving the people the opportunity to have a go at activities they hadn’t tried before and giving them a taste of what we do at Appetite.
Image credit I Clara Lou Photography

Letting in the Light by Kidsgrove Scavengers

January – March 2022

Running from January to March 2022, community groups took part in workshops to create flags and claystacks, using things found in the area, which will be positioned on the canal to act as a welcome to people.
Image credit I Jenny Harper

The Open Observatory

January – February 2022

Rebecca Huxley created Riparian Ecologies with members of the public during the The Open Observatory sessions at the start of 2022, focusing on wildlife and the environment. Members of the public could go along, have a chat with her, see what she’s discovered and created. Students from Kings School also attended The Open Observatory.

Image credit I Andrew Billington

Journeys

October 2021

Journeys Kidsgrove is an outdoor project where a mural artwork was created for Kidsgrove around the theme of journeys in collaboration with the local community by We Are Culla and supported by Go Kidsgrove. We Are Culla sent out postcards during October 2021 asking residents for their thoughts on Kidsgrove.  Using all the feedback and ideas, two designs were created and a second postcard was distributed for the community to vote on as well as online surveys. Your winner was painted by the We Are Culla team!

Image credit I Jenny Harper

In collaboration with:

We Are Culla written in black. Culla is spelt C U L L A. There is an umlaut over the 'U

Supported by:

Appetite
New Vic Theatre
Etruria Rd,
Newcastle-under-Lyme,
Staffordshire ST5 0JG

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