Staffordshire is set bang in the middle of the West Midlands, home to England’s highest village (Flash) and set amid the beautiful Peak District, a popular walking holiday destination in England that covers several counties. The city of Stoke-on-Trent is known for its pottery. But due to environmental & animal welfare concerns (china clay & bone china), learn practices on eco-friendly pottery.
All of the county’s coal mines are long gone (one is now a nature reserve) yet in 2022, Michael Gove MP approved the UK’s first new coal mine (in Cumbria) in 30 years, despite environmental concerns.
the importance of ‘deed not breed’
Another wrong move by MPs is to villify (mostly innocent) Staffordshire Bull Terriers (‘deed not breed). In Victorian times, staffies were the ‘family pet of choice’ (a bit like Labrador Retrievers are now), showing that the government has no idea on the best ways to keep people safe near dogs. Read more on how to help prevent dog bites.
home of the (very noisy) Alton Towers
Stafford is home to Alton Towers, with many locals in neighbouring villages having served noise abatement orders. There have been several accidents in recent years (in 2015, two people had leg amputations due to a catalogue of errors).
Other serious accidents at theme parks have occurred in Blackpool (one 11-year old boy died and a man broke his neck). Local people have also complained to Alton Towers about fireworks, which wake babies, terrify pets and scare birds to death (and cause acid rain).
a county producing hard-living celebrities!
Staffordshire has produced many notable residents including Robbie Williams (whose parents ran a local pub), actor Neil Morrissey (born to Irish parents who lived in Stoke) and Motorhead’s Lemmy (famed for his hard living, he died just 2 days after being diagnosed with cancer).
A less-well known ‘British resident’ was Slash (guitarist from US brand Guns’n’Roses) who spent a few years here as a child, before his family emigrated. He later recalled that when in London, ‘I witnessed one of my uncles, my cousin and my grandfather on his first trip to London, down every drop of the considerable cider in our dressing room. Consumed in full, our booze in those days would have killed anyone but us!’