‘Positive about our community’ The ‘Connects’ team carefully choose our guest speakers to inform us about success stories, interesting projects and events that are happening on our doorstep. Previous guest speakers include…

Ian Cartwright
Kuotos Swim

Craig Price
The Dog Therapist

Jenny Amphlett
University of Staffordshire

Claire Nicoll
Keele University

Isla Telford
Urban Wilderness CIC

Kat Hughes
Potboiler Theatre

Gemma Thomas
Brilliant Bamboo CIC

Chris Ward
Longton Exchange Ltd

Sonya Farrall
BabaBaboon.co.uk

James Routledge
The Knot Daily

Jane Smith
Our Space Staffs

Richard Swancott
Enjoy Staffordshire

Ruth Chambers
Raparu CIC

Simon Davies
The Teapot Factory

Helen Goodall
Turpentine Vintage

Jenna Goodwin
The Red Haired Stokie

Darren Washington
Centre Space Arts

Ann King
Newcastle Staffs Foodbank

Martin Crews
Capital&Centric

Laurel Gallagher
Urban Wilderness CIC

Geoff Beadle
Newcastle Council

Steph Bradbury
Alice Charity

Deb Hilditch
Newcastle Common

Jayne Knapper
Stoke-on-Trent Fostering

Simon McEneny
Newcastle Council

Justin Ninan
The Wheelhouse

Stephen Roberts
Keele University

Justin Nock
Playhouse NuL

Rob Goodley
Rural Brewing Co.

Sophie Wagstaff
The Clubhouse Stoke

Chris Daniels
Cyber Kiln Ltd.

Cris Cohen
Feasted.co.uk

Tom Guilbert-Newell
Newcastle Council

Steve Alty
Hilton Garden Inn

Ben and Jon Hill
Piccoloco Coffee

Charlotte Pearce
Newcastle-under-Lyme BID

Katie Beardmore
Brampton Hill House

Rhiannon Ewing-James
British Ceramic Biennial

Kirsty Rollings
Keele in Town
Dereece Gardner
Desire Cocktail Bar

David Taylor
Merlin Magic Making
Louise Abbots
Hurrah Marketing

Arthur Barnard
Philip Astley Project CIC

Jay Davies
Castletown Distillery

Alun Rogers
Stoke & Staffs LEP

Simon Fuller
The Donna Louise

Louise Eagle
Dementia Friends

Sonya Wakefield
BabaBaboon

Ben Dyer
National Enterprise Challenge

Karen Coleman
Excello Law

Jon Fairburn
Staffordshire Business School

Aaron Bell
MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme

Community Ventures Team

Ruth Williams
The Smile Group

Hannah Ault
Valentine Clays Ltd

Ian Bradford
Lymestone Brewery

NIchola Twemlow
Stoke CEP

Bal Atwel
Freeths Solicitors

Robin MacDonald
Caverswall Castle

Lloyd Cooke
Saltbox

Matt Hubbard
Reels In Motion

Mika De Oliveira
Art Brasil

Gemma Thomas
Appetite

Huw Morgan
Keele University

Jordan Everall
Staffordshire University

Beverley Ashley
Stoke & Staffs Careers Hub

Paul Rogerson
Restoke

Matt Hustwit
Staffs Chambers of Commerce

Ryan Johnson
SoT College, Burslem Campus

Dan Townley
Port Vale F.C. Foundation Trust

Daniel Turner
Belong.org.uk

Andrew Billington
Andrew Billington Photography

Jake Murfin
The Prince’s Trust

Simon Tagg
Newcastle Council

Elise Turner
Brampton Museum

Chris Wilson
Bottlecraft & Crossways

Lauren Hamer
Beautyful by Lauren

Staffordshire Team
Community Foundation Staffs

Richard Guy
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust

Laura Watson
Stoke Sentinel

Jonathan Gullis MP
Stoke North, Kidsgrove and Talke

Connects Network
Celebrating local links

Alastair Machin
Chaffinch Group

Newcastle-under-Lyme Business Improvement District Team

Andrew Van Buren
The Philip Astley Project

Iain Cartwright
British Ceramics Biennial

Adrian Ball
Our Space Staffs

Ben McManus
Wavemaker

Ann King
The Glost House

Mel Sheratt
Author

Wendy Dean
Strategi Solutions

Danny Flynn
YMCA Staffs

Anthony Bunn
Editor
Duck Magazine

Susan Clarke
B-Arts

Carol Shanahan
Synetics Solutions

Paul Williams
City Of Culture 2021 Bid

Tom Walley
Hit Mix Radio

Matt Taylor
Newcastle BID

Paul Farmer OBE
Wade Ceramics

Paul Phillips
Young Enterprise

Rob Ledger
Six Towns Radio

Fiona Wallace
New Vic Theatre

Erica Love
Partners in Creative Learning

Bernard Lovatt
Etruria Industrial Museum

Hannah Malloy
Donna Louise

Alison Bradford
Business Coach

David Breese
Golden Disc Company

Viv Bradford
Lymestone Brewery

Mike Whittingham
Heywood Academy

Charnelle Merritt
Totally Local

Ray Elks
Arch North Staffs

Karl Greenwood
Appetite

Adrian Ball
1000 Lives

Joan Walley
MP

Andy Cook
Entrepreneurs

Toby McCann & Robert Burns
Film Makers