Our commitment to the local community

Stoke-on-Trent’s popular shopping destination, The Potteries Centre, has revealed it supported a total of 15 local charities throughout 2021, volunteering over 140 hours of staff time and raising over £1,000 for community causes.

As part of its commitment to give back to the surrounding community, The Potteries Centre team worked alongside a number of Staffordshire-based charities, including arts organisations, family support networks and clean-up programmes, over the course of the year.

Arts organisation Urban Wilderness, not-for-profit organisation Stoke on Trent City Centre BID and theatrical Stoke-based charity, Portland Inn Project, were just a handful of causes that benefited from The Potteries Centre’s support, after the team provided them with the opportunity to make use of a temporary unit within the centre.

The unit was home to creative arts projects such as the Urban Wilderness’ ‘Tomorrowland’ programme and yoga sessions delivered by the BID and The Portland Inn project opened a Pigeon Shop.

Further community initiatives included raising funds for The Royal British Legion, with Potteries staff also dedicating 13 days in March to clean the streets of Hanley through the BID’s Operation Sparkle.

Helping to support local families across the region, the centre also donated soft play equipment to community group Stoke-on-Trent’s Mothers’ Support Network.

Meanwhile, the festive period saw the centre partner with Signal 1’s Mission Christmas appeal, who made use of a spare unit in the centre to collect over £700 worth of toys for Christmas presents for 30 local children and their families. The festive season also saw the centre collect donations from its Toy Testing Lab for the Alice Charity, an organisation that supports vulnerable families.

In addition, the year saw the centre host its One Great Day event, in partnership with Great Ormond Street and the Alice Charity, with monetary donations of over £450 collected for both causes.

Commenting on the centre’s support for charities last year, general manager of The Potteries Centre, Amy Whittaker, said:

“Community is at the heart of everything we do, and our work throughout 2021 is testament to that long-held ethos. Many of our team members are ‘Stokies’ themselves, and some even have connections to the charities that were chosen last year – making this a really proud moment for myself and our entire team.

“Not only did we help to raise crucial funds for some amazing charities, we were able to support significant creative and cultural programmes that will have a great impact on our wider community, and in particular, the younger residents of Stoke.”

2022 will see the team double down on their charity efforts with a number of new charity initiatives, partnerships and events set to be revealed over the coming months.

Amy added:

“We’re honoured to have played a part in the remarkable work these charities do, day-in-day-out. Although we’re just a few days into January, we’re already putting the finishing touches to our latest charity-driven initiative in the centre which will see us support a new local charity each month. So, watch this space.”