Burslem Festivals 2008: introduction

Welcome to Burslem Festivals 2008, now available to download. If you haven’t seen Local Edition before, it is a fortnightly street newspaper* distributed throughout Burslem, Tunstall, Cobridge and Middleport in Northern Stoke.

This special edition has been put together to raise funds to promote Burslem’s festivals with the distribution of 20,000 copies and any profits being set aside to assist with promotion of future events. Half the copies are going to local houses to try and reach people who may not have been to Burslem in a while and the other half are to be distributed across the city and to tourist centres, plus it is available to download online. Throughout the editorial, graphics and advertising, we’ve aimed to give you a taste of the fun and hard work that goes on in Burslem, Mother Town of the Potteries.

As a social enterprise newspaper, we avoid the extreme paths of mainstream media and public relations that feel compelled to portray a place in either an overly negative or positive light. Rather, social journalism is about making the connections that can inspire change and giving people a tool to communicate effectively, whoever they are. It is the case, however, that everyone involved in Local Edition shares a love for Burslem, so in this case we’re unapologetic about our mission to overturn negative perceptions.

Our heritage as the place where the globalised pottery industry first started is ever-present on our fascinating streets, but we don’t just look back to our illustrious history. Many of our businesses are still pioneers in their fields and trading across the world in diverse industries, from Spitfire parts to pop music production. Much of the activity happens behind the scenes, but it’s still here.
We’re asking for your support, whether you’re a local resident or reading this from afar, to build on everything that is here: knowledgeable traders happy to provide that extra level of service to the customer, wonderful food and drink from an array of cultures and, through May and beyond, festivities for the whole family across the area – most of them free and put on by volunteers who work hard to organise them through the year. We’ve put the issue together with very limited resources and a small team, and so there is plenty more than we’ve been able to include here – but you’ll have to come and find it all out for yourself!

A big thanks to everybody that has helped make the brochure happen, especially the festivals’ committees and everyone who has chipped in small and large amounts of money and time to support its production and distribution. Whether you’re coming from near or far, we all look forward to welcoming you to Burslem soon.
love, Clare & the team

• Any errors or ommissions are normally the fault of the editor, who apologises in advance. Please let us know anything we’ve missed by emailing clare @ localedition.org.uk or dropping a note into the Burslem Arts shop at 7 Queen Street.