Make it Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire - Quality of Life
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire can offer a quality of life that is not available in larger urban areas. From Flash in the Staffordshire Moorlands to Kinver Edge in South Staffordshire, from Woodseaves in the west to Burton-upon-Trent in the east there is a diverse range of scenery; the County is steeped in history but has every modern amenity. Indeed, many people who work in surrounding large urban areas prefer to live in Staffordshire.
Housing
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, has a vast range of property, from Georgian and Victorian houses in villages, through to pre-war houses, and modern prestige developments in towns. In the North-East of the county is the Staffordshire Moorlands, with stone built houses in the towns of Leek and Cheadle, as well as in surrounding villages. The North-West of the county is covered by the Potteries conurbation, made up of Stoke-on-Trent and the ancient borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. This is our largest conurbation and has a mix of housing from city developments to village houses. Much of the central area of the county is rural, but includes towns such as Stafford, Stone, Uttoxeter and Burton-upon-Trent. In southern Staffordshire is the cathedral city of Lichfield, the bustling towns of Cannock and Rugeley, and Tamworth, with its castle. Property prices throughout the county are very competitive, being lower than many of the surrounding areas.
Education
Our knowledge economy is based on the production, distribution and use of knowledge as the main driver of growth, wealth creation and employment, across all industries, from high tech to the apparently menial. Consequently, there is a strong reliance on a ready supply of a well-educated workforce. There are nine main higher and further education institutions in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, including two universities and seven colleges. Other universities nearby include Aston, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and Warwick. Staffordshire University has around 16,000 and Keele some 8,300 degree students. The colleges include Stoke-on-Trent College, which has around 30,000 students, and Burton College with approximately 14,200 students. The newly created Southern Staffordshire College - the amalgamation of Tamworth and Lichfield College, Cannock Chase Technical College and Rodbaston College - has nearly 20,000 students. Other colleges include Stafford College, the City of Stoke-on-Trent Sixth Form College, Leek College of Further Education and Newcastle-under-Lyme College.
Culture
Staffordshire is at the heart of ceramics tourism, with Stoke-on-Trent and the many visitor centres and factory shops of famous brands such as Wedgwood, Royal Doulton, Coalport etc. The county boasts a number of stately homes and Castles, from Shugborough and Weston Park, to Stafford Castle and Boscobel House. We also have ia number of theatres, museums and old churches, as well as Lichfield Cathedral.
Recreational Activities
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire is home to two leisure parks: Alton Towers and Drayton Manor Park. Sporting facilities are available in all the main towns, and in addition there is Europe`s first real snow, indoor, ski slope at Tamworth and Waterworld at Stoke-on-Trent. Golfing enthusiasts are catered for by many local courses, and there is sailing at Rudyard Lake, near Leek, and at Chasewater, near Cannock.
Alternative Energy / Environmental Issues
Advantage West Midlands is providing the funding for a new project in Staffordshire to encourage businesses to make more use of renewable energy sources. A steering group is being set up with involvement from the county council, Shropshire County Council, Stafford Borough Council, Staffordshire Business Environment Network, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Cannock Chase District Council, South Staffordshire District Council, Southern Staffordshire Partnership, Keele University, Staffordshire University and Rodbaston College. The project will build on the success of the Stafford Biomass Project, which has seen the creation of a power station at Eccleshall, using crops of miscanthus - elephant grass. This project was started with funding five years ago, from the old Stafford single regeneration budget programme. The aim of the AWM-funded project is to establish Staffordshire and Shropshire as UK leaders in renewable technology, by developing a renewables business network, showcasing renewable technology and increasing investment in production of biomass fuel.
Other
Staffordshire is a beautiful rural county of scenic contrasts, stretching from the gritstone hills on the edge of the Peak District National Park, to the flood plains of the river Trent, to the edge of the West Midlands conurbation. The area includes the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the National Forest, together with the Forest of Mercia, a community forest.
