Thousands turn out for Staffordshire Day celebrations

Thousands of people from across Staffordshire turned out for the county’s eighth Staffordshire Day celebrations today (Monday 1 May).

A food festival, garden party and breakfast train were amongst the events and activities taking place over the weekend.

This year’s theme was all about sustainability, celebrating the many ways our county is doing our bit to reduce our impact on the environment and make Staffordshire more sustainable. The day is a chance for people to come together to celebrate all that is great about Staffordshire and to show their pride in the county.

Highlights included:

1. The Big Green Poetry Competition project invited residents and local poets to submit poems on themes around sustainability and Staffordshire’s environmental treasures. On 20th May, Stafford Library will host a poetry event to celebrate the winning poems.

2. The Staffordshire Day Film Festival at the Mitchell Arts Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, where the winners of the film competition were crowned.

3. A food festival at The Trentham Estate, including chef demos, baking competitions and artisan stalls.

4. A day of family entertainment at the National Memorial Arboretum, with giant garden games, craft activities and outrageous Garden Bugs characters causing mayhem.

5. A plant hunter’s fair at Weston Park in South Staffordshire, featuring plants from all over the world and experts offering advice on choosing the best plants for your garden.

Phillip White, Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills, said:

“Staffordshire Day is our annual celebration and once again it was great to see so many people, organisations and attractions joining in the fun.

“This day is a great opportunity for us to showcase everything our wonderful county has to offer, from our rich history and heritage to our stunning locations and fantastic attractions.

“I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this year’s celebrations such a huge success, including our tourism businesses and everybody who put on an event.”

Two Michelin-starred chef, Niall Keating from Lunar Restaurant, also created an exclusive recipe for Staffordshire Day, which celebrates the traditional flavours of Staffordshire oatcakes. To complement the oatcakes, Lunar's bar manager, Dominic Harvey, created a Grape Must cocktail, making it the perfect brunch combination to enjoy at home.

People can download the Staffordshire oatcake recipe by visiting: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk\StaffordshireOatcakeRecipeCard. For the Grape Must Collins, people can find the recipe here: https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/GrapeMustCollinsRecipeCard

For more information on events and things to do in Staffordshire visit www.enjoystaffordshire.com/staffsday.