What's on this weekend? 25-26 September

 Here's a quick rundown of what's on this weekend in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle and the surrounding area, selected to be suitable for the Days Out With Daddy audience - families with young children.

Middleport Pottery Artisan and Food Market
Friday 24 September - Saturday 25 September, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm both days
Free entry
If your children are interested in artisan food (yeah, it's a bit of stretch, but they may be), then Middleport pottery may be the place for you.  Try out new and interesting foods (it'll be a change from pizza, chicken nuggets and chips, which is all mine will eat...).

Alternatively, the foody theme continues with the Newcastle Under Lyme Fresh n Tasty Foodstival.
Saturday 25th September 2021
11:00 am - 6:00pm
Brampton Park, Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 0QP

This is a similar but less 'artisan' food festival, with a refreshing array of hot and cold (alcoholic and soft) drinks to appeal to everyone’s taste buds.   There'll be a wide selection of food and drinks stalls, with an exciting opportunity to try an array of tasty dishes and desserts, to cover everybody's taste preferences and appetites.  

These are always good if your kids are nibblers and you're looking to try to expand their narrow range of foods (without having to break the bank buying food that then gets buried in the freezer for months).

COST:
Under 5 – FREE
5 – 15 years - £1.50
16+ £2.50

Potters 'Arf Marathon
Sunday 26 September

Yes, the Potters 'Arf marathon is back, starting out from central Hanley at 10:30 am, and going on a large anticlockwise loop around the city.  The route includes Shelton, Fenton, Longton, Bentilee, Abbey Hulton, Milton and Baddeley Green before returning to Hanley via Sneyd Green.

Come along, cheer the runners on, and maybe get some photos?

Expect traffic disruption around the route for most of the morning.

Bonfire Night and Fireworks Displays, November 2021

 The children are back at school; the conkers are coming; the leaves are starting to change colour... and next stop is Bonfire Night.

Here's an ongoing list of where, when and how much it costs to see fireworks displays in and around Stoke on Trent this year (after last year's damp squib!).  I'll keep adding to it as we get closer!

Clough Hall Park Bonfire & Fireworks Display, Kidsgrove
Saturday 6 November 2021
Ticket prices not yet confirmed, but children 3 years or under are free.

Gates closed 5.30 pm. (Clough Hall Road and Grove Avenue)
Gates re-open 6.00 pm. (Clough Hall Road and Grove Avenue)
Bonfire 7.15 pm.
Firework Display 7.45 pm.
Gates closed 10.30 pm.

Warwick's Fun Fair will be there running throughout the evening.  Refreshments and snacks will be available.

Betley Bonfire 2021

Betley Court Farm, Crewe, CW3 9BH

Saturday 6 November 2021

One of the biggest bonfires in the UK along with a spectacular fireworks display.

Gates open: 4:00 pm

Bonfire 6:00 pm
Fireworks 8:00 pm

City of Stoke FC Bonfire Night

Saturday 6 November 2021

6:00pm - 10:00 pm

Whisper Lane, Trentham Rd, Butterton ST5 4DX

Details are a little sketchier on this one, but if you're in the Newcastle area, it's certainly a display to consider.

Spitfire Flypast, Stoke-on-Trent, Saturday 18 September

Cancel your plans for the weekend!

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery have announced that there will be a Spitfire flypast by the RAF on Saturday 18 September at 12.38pm,  celebrating the opening of their new Spitfire Gallery, which opens to the public on Monday 20 September - I'm sure it'll be visible from outside, even if you can't go in!

Please be aware that timings could change at short notice and the flypast is weather dependent. 

Find somewhere with a good view (Tesco car park, or any of the adjacent car parks near the museum) to get the best of the flypast.  In previous years, flypasts have involved a couple of bends and turns, so keep your eyes open!

Paint A Wooden Spitfire, Mitchell Arts Centre, September 2021

Stoke-on-Trent is celebrating Spitfire Weekend on 18-19 September, and there are various activities taking place.

The first I found is Paint A Spitfire, a children's activity taking place at the Mitchell Arts Centre, 40 Broad Street, ST1 4HG (behind the Tesco Extra in Hanley, which you can use for parking).  It's a free activity, running from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, and is suitable for any child who'd like to paint a wooden model Spitfire.

No booking necessary; allow 30 minutes for your child to paint their model Spitfire.

Christmas 2021 Pantomimes!

Pantomime season is back!  Well, it's still September, but the pantomimes are being announced thick and fast, so here's a summary of what's coming up where this Christmas.  I'll add more details in the next few months, as we get closer to curtain-up!

Regent Theatre, Hanley
Cinderella
10 December - 2 January

New Vic Theatre, Newcastle
Beauty and the Beast (not exactly a pantomime, but close enough)
26 November - 29 January

Crewe Lyceum
Sleeping Beauty
16 December - 2 January

Stoke Repertory
Sleeping Beauty
21-23 December; 6-9 January

Mitchell Arts Centre, Hanley
Dick Whittington
13-31 December, 5:00 pm

Staffordshire Gatehouse
Snow White
10-31 December

Rugeley Rose
Robin Hood
11-12 December

Hanley Town Football Club: Free tickets for Low/No Income Families

 In a kind and generous gesture, Hanley Town Football Club have today launched a new scheme, offering free match-day tickets to children and dads (and mums) on low or no income. 

We have joint forces with @DaysOutWitDaddy to offer free entry to Dads and their kid where the dad has low or no income.

This will not only help with the quality of the family time but also the mental health of the parent.

We obviously extend this initiative to mums also.

— Hanley Town FC (@HanleyTown66) September 4, 2021

I'm delighted and honoured to be helping Hanley Town share and promote this new scheme. 

The first three games in the offer are shown below.  For more information, including how to show proof of eligibility, please contact the club via their website or their Twitter account.

Tuesday 5th October Vs Wolverhampton Casuals 7;45pm Saturday 9th October Vs Lichfield City 3pm Tuesday 12th October Vs Stone Old Alleynians 7;45pm

Stoke Con Trent Comic Convention, October 2021

The biggest and best Comic Convention in Stoke-on-Trent; Staffordshire and possibly even the West Midlands and beyond:  Stoke Con Trent is back.  This year sees a change of venue, as the convention moves from Staffs Uni (where it's been held since its launch) and we are invited to #KeeleTheForce.

Since its launch, Stoke Con Trent has become a leading event, featuring a wide range of sci-fi actors (Garrett Wang, various Doctors, Jeremy Bulloch) and a range of TV celebrities (Stoke Con Trent has become the place to meet the team from ITV's Gladiators), as well as comic artists (local and national).

Stoke Con Trent genuinely has something for all ages.  They've had guests including Hacker T Dog (CBBC) and Tiny Tim (of YouTube fame, and well worth a look), and members of S Club 7 (who have since gone on to have TV careers of their own).  If they're still a little young for you, you can hope to see the Gladiators, and if they're still not your cup of tea, then there are often TV stars from shows like The Chase.  It's grown significantly since its start as a sci-fi/comic convention to attract a much wider audience base (which means they get the ticket revenue to attract the bigger stars, in a positive, virtuous circle).

The wide range of guests is complemented by a wide range of stalls.  Yes, there are Funko Pops, and Lego figures, but there are also local gaming groups, stores, sweets, refreshments and so on.  Which reminds me: the convention venues (they've been at Staffs Uni, and at King's Hall Stoke on one occasion) are always very well equipped, with hot/cold food, toilets (including disabled toilets) and ideal for this kind of event.  

I've blogged before with extensive reviews and previews of earlier Stoke Con Trents, and this post is to remind everyone that it's back, on Sunday 10 October.  At the time of writing, guests are still being announced, and I anticipate frequent updates throughout September as we get closer to the date.

Guests announced so far include:

Robert Llewellyn (Kryten from Red Dwarf, Scrapheap Challenge)

Gladiators:  Lightning; Scorpio and Zodiac (and if that seems female-only, I strongly suspect that Wolf and Saracen will join the list at some point soon)

Sam Fox 1980s pin-up and pop star (yes, she had a top 30 UK single)

Hacker T Dog from CBBC returns for a second Con.

Jessica Stafford (The Real Hustle)

Ted Robbins (everything from Ackley Bridge to Peter Kay's shows)

Steve Cardenas (Red Power Ranger)

And there will certainly be plenty more.  The students from Staffordshire University's Comic and Comic Arts degree course regularly put on a great display of their artwork, which is also recommended if you're more interested in Comic Conventions, and in the past Lee Sullivan (whose work includes Transformers) has attended.

What really makes the conventions - the icing on the cake - is the number of people who attend in Cosplay.  Yes, the local Cosplay groups attend, and they're amazing, but many of the attendees also dress up, and there's a great atmosphere.  This is genuinely for all the family - I've seen the Incredibles Family, with Mrs Incredible pushing Jack-Jack (in costume) in his pushchair.  Hilarous!!

Tickets are reasonably priced for a convention of this scale and are available from the Stoke Con Trent website:

£40 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children)
£15 for adults (17 and over)
£10 for concessions (pensioners and those with a disability; carers' tickets are available)
£8 for children (5-16)
Under 5s are free

Great value, a great day out, and genuinely suitable for all ages.  I'll be reviewing the latest Con in an upcoming post, and sharing even more pictures!