Rowan Village Gardening Group
The Rowan Village Gardening Group in Meir demonstrates how a small group of dedicated residents can create lasting change not only within their immediate area but across the wider community.
Rowan Village, run by Staffs Housing, part of Honeycomb Group, is home to the residents behind this initiative: Albert, Eileen, Geraldine and Rowland.
Together, they began by revitalising Rowan Village’s communal gardens, transforming tired green spaces into vibrant, welcoming areas where neighbours can meet, socialise and enjoy the outdoors.
Their work has also provided a lifeline for residents who can no longer manage their own plots, ensuring everyone can take pride in their surroundings.
When the village lost its much-loved fruit and vegetable stall the group took the initiative to grow their own produce — from raspberries and courgettes to tomatoes, potatoes and pumpkins.
This fresh produce is shared with the village bistro and carefully portioned into single servings, meaning even those living alone have access to affordable, healthy food.
Beyond these practical benefits, the group has created joy, purpose and a renewed sense of community spirit. Many residents describe feeling more connected, valued and engaged thanks to their efforts.
The impact of the gardening group has spread beyond Rowan Village itself. Their passion inspired a wider community gardening day in Meir, where local residents came together to share skills, support one another and take pride in their neighbourhood. This event improved the local environment and strengthened bonds between people of different ages and backgrounds, showing the ripple effect a small, committed group can have on the wider community.
The Rowan Village Gardening Group has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards by Rachel Lawton from The Honeycomb Group.
She said: “The group has shown that community spirit flourishes when people work side by side. They’ve enhanced wellbeing, promoted healthier living and inspired others to get involved in making Meir a better place.
“Their kindness, energy, and determination make them a shining example of what can be achieved when neighbours come together with a shared purpose — and they are truly deserving of recognition as Community Group of the Year.”
Stoke Creates
A cultural compact for Stoke-on-Trent has raised more than £2million in funding to help local artists and creatives since forming in January 2021.
Stoke Creates was instrumental in the city being awarded World Craft City status in 2024 – an award that has recognised the city’s rich ceramics heritage and set a benchmark for other cities worldwide.
Earlier this year the team, based in the cultural quarter at Smithfield in Hanley, partnered with Stoke-on-Trent City Council to organise a community parade in the city centre.
More than 1,000 participants took part in the People’s Parade, which brought together local communities for a celebration of the city’s centenary year and was led by giant puppet – the Spirit of Stoke – created by arts organisation B-Arts.
The nine-strong team at Stoke Creates is a collaboration of professionals and academics supported by local artists and a diverse group of organisations including community interest companies, educational organisations and members of the ceramics industry.
Stoke Creates is chaired by University of Staffordshire’s Professor Carola Boehm who said: “We are so proud of our city and Stoke-on-Trent’s vibrant cultural ecosystem. Following the World Craft City status our creative web that includes cultural industries, museums, galleries and educational institutions, is being talked about regionally, in Parliament and worldwide, we are making sure that Stoke is on the map.”
This year the organisation received charitable status and now aims to build on providing more support for the local arts scene and creating more positive action for Stoke-on-Trent.
Carola added: “Stoke Creates has become a charity. Our aim is that with this new status we are seen as a safe pair of hands in the eyes of local donors and philanthropists. With their investment we will support more local creatives and we cannot wait to build the partnerships and teams that deliver on our exciting plans.”
Susan Clarke, Executive Director of Stoke Creates, said: “Stoke Creates is delighted already to have raised a phenomenal amount of funds in two years to support our local artists and creatives to bring arts to over 80,000 people across our city. We will be keeping this momentum up, advocating for investment in our arts and culture and creative industries wherever we find a platform.
“We’re delighted that World Craft City status is also included in local government plans, including Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Future 100 prospectus.
“In June we staged the largest parade in Stoke-on-Trent where not only over a thousand local people took part, but thousands more local people came out in force to watch and support the celebrations.
“Arts and culture are key to everyone living a full and rewarding life in any city and why shouldn’t Stoke, a city built on craft and graft, have all the opportunities and realise all its creative ambitions as we move forward?”
Stoke Creates has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Voice of Hope
A North Staffordshire charity that raises awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking delivered awareness sessions to 1240 delegates and 1651 children over the last year.
Voice of Hope, based at The Bridge Centre in Birches Head, was established by University of Staffordshire alumna Robertson in 2015.
The aim is to provide awareness and training sessions to sectors that may encounter victims or people who are at risk of becoming a victim to modern slavery, human trafficking and county lines. These sectors include healthcare, advice, business, education, housing associations and volunteers.
The charity was established after Ann had watched a documentary on TV and then decided to write a dissertation at University of Staffordshire that focused on examining if slavery still existed. When she researched what was going on in in the world, and even locally, Ann was motivated to establish Voice of Hope.
“I wanted my grandson to live in a world where people stand up and raise their voice. That’s where the name of the charity came from,” she said.
Voice of Hope has evolved over the past decade to increase awareness as it is estimated there are more than 13,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK.
The charity has a team of four – Ann, Graham Phillips, Catherine Morris and Tom Tams – and they work closely with Staffordshire Police and other organisations.
Ann said: “Our aim is to give more people better opportunities and alternatives and to reinforce that we are a voice to help people.
“We want to give a voice to those who are involved and affected by this, especially children and the vulnerable, and continue to provide our services and programmes to those who need them.
“A key focus is educating the next generation to equip them with information and support so that they can make informed decisions and choices and avoid becoming victims themselves.”
Voice of Hope has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Tamworth Have a Heart
A charity dedicated to fundraising to buy and install defibrillators for community use has just installed its 84th in the Tamworth area.
Tamworth Have a Heart started in 2018. As well and funding and installing defibrillators it raises awareness of cardiac arrest risk and trains the public in cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automatic external defibrillators.
Stuart Watson has been chairman and trustee of the charity since 2019, after his father set up the charity a year earlier. Volunteers and trustees include three generation of the Watson family.
The most recent defibrillator was installed at Mile Oak Recreation Ground and the charity plans to install even more in Tamworth and surrounding areas in the future. It is always looking for more volunteers to assist and for companies and people who want to support in acquiring new defibrillators.
Stuart said: “Our initial aim was to install 10 in Tamworth and the surrounding area, but we have obviously exceeded that. Our aim now is to grow and grow and keep increasing the number in our area.
“It’s hard because we have to repair, maintain and update each defibrillator regularly, but we are passionate about the huge positives there are from having them publicly accessible.
“We have had 25 defibrillators activated in the last 2 months, and when you see the statistics on cardiac arrests it’s clear that what we are doing is really needed.
“Not only do we supply defibrillators, but members of our team also go into the community and teach CPR and the use of AEDs too. Public awareness is so vitally important when faced with emergencies.”
Tamworth Have a Heart has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Portland Inn Project
An arts projects has had such a transformative effect on one of the most deprived areas of Stoke-on-Trent that it’s being used as a template for other parts of the UK.
The Portland Inn Project is a creative arts CIC with the aim of achieving community cohesion, economic, social and cultural development by involving residents in the development of a pioneering community space, cultural hub and social enterprise.
It has tried to combat local problems through a range of creative community projects and at the heart of this has been the regeneration of the once-neglected Portland Street including the transformation of a boarded-up pub into a thriving arts space and social enterprise. This will enable the organisation to scale up and diversify its offer to a larger audience.
Since 2019 the organisation’s headquarters has been in a shipping container however it is set to move into new premises – the old Portland Inn public house – in November.
The Portland Inn Project is a collaboration between University of Staffordshire’s Professor Anna Francis, professional artist Rebecca Davies and the community of the Portland Street area.
Anna and Rebecca are part of a team of nine staff, plus a host of volunteers, who have spent years curating and creating a programme of events and projects. Despite facing a wealth of challenges they are now seeing their hard work rewarded by a new sense of community and ownership among local residents.
Anna said: “One of the main challenges has been to change not only outside perceptions of the area, but those living here too.
“Many residents were possibly wary and suspicious at the start, as they felt ignored. A big part of our plan was to build bridges and then relationships with local services – something that wasn’t really there at that time. But once that started to happen and residents saw that we too were a part of their community, trust in what we were looking to do has grown.
“That trust has increased as we have created an inclusive, safe space for decision-making where people can make change and their voices are heard.”
Rebecca added: “We can’t wait to move into the new building as we and the community recognise the opportunities that this represents.
“It’s been fantastic to have the support of neighbours who are now our friends. Having a new base will hopefully allow us to widen the work we do in the future, too. But we’ve also had lots of interest from all over the country about The Portland Inn Project too.
“It’s great to see a neighbourhood-focused project gaining support and awareness and having potential impact from further afield.”
The Portland Inn Project has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Lichfield District City of Sanctuary
A Lichfield charity supported around 500 vulnerable people, predominantly asylum seekers and refugees, last year.
Lichfield District City of Sanctuary was established after a community meeting six years ago, where a small group of the city’s residents committed towards the recognition of Lichfield as a City of Sanctuary.
It’s part of the British charitable organisation City of Sanctuary that is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. It is building a movement of welcome across the UK and Ireland by coordinating and supporting networks of community groups.
Lichfield District City of Sanctuary’s aim is to make Lichfield a welcoming and supportive city that provides support and sanctuary to those that need it.
With more than 100 members and an action group of 15, the charity has increased its activities in recent years, especially since the escalation of the troubles in Ukraine. It looks to relieve the needs of refugees and asylum seekers resident in Lichfield and the surrounding areas by providing a network, services and support, and also promotes equality and diversity for the public benefit.
Lichfield District City of Sanctuary establishes and promotes activities to foster support and understanding between residents of Lichfield and the surrounding areas, including community events, campaigns, exhibitions, workshops, classes, visits and meetings.
The charity is helping to make Lichfield a city that supports newcomers, especially those who face discrimination and inclusion, and challenges visions of Lichfield that exclude any individuals and groups that live and work there.
Nigel Gann, the charity’s Executive Secretary, said: “Our original aim was very simple – to help to build a more welcoming community for people rebuilding their lives here.
“Lichfield District City of Sanctuary is comprised of so many great people who are stepping up to support people seeking sanctuary in our communities. It’s both heartening and humbling to see.
“We want to provide not only practical support, but produce an example of what a positive, welcoming place really looks like and means. I’m so proud to see the way that so many people are now genuinely welcoming, kind and how they demonstrate it. I’m also proud that the charity is giving people the opportunity to show kindness.”
Lichfield District City of Sanctuary has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Newcastle Town Football Club
Alongside its Men’s and Women’s first teams Newcastle Town Football Club has 52 teams for young people and works with up to 1,000 five to 18-year-olds.
The club also offers volunteering opportunities for more than 100 people is sports coaching and helping behind the scenes.
Chairman Gavin Appleby said: “Newcastle Town Football Club has organised and run associated football formally since early 2000, with origins in youth football continuing further back than this.
“We have seen a meteoric rise in the numbers of people playing organised football at the club and have 52 boys and girls teams playing as well as the many other children taking part in our soccer schools, holiday camps, disability and girls sessions. The teams play across a number of leagues across two days, some across the Midlands.
“The club’s football development for juniors has been conducted in many initiatives over the years, however since 2000 it has mainly been around the running of junior teams in the local leagues.
“We have run a successful Soccer School for 25 years on a Saturday morning which encourages boys and girls from ages five to 18 years to play football, regardless of ability or their previous football background.
“The scheme runs on a pay as you play basis rather than a subscription model which helps and supports players to engage.”
The club has a main stadium pitch and a 20-acre Roe Lane site with 3G pitch that was officially opened by former Stoke City player Andy Wilkinson in 2023.
The club is set to take on The Whammy site in the Knutton area of Newcastle in summer 2025 and hopes to be able to help raise aspirations and social outcomes in the area.
“We really want to make an impact in Knutton,” said Gavin. “We work with all members of the community including people from all backgrounds, races and religions.”
He added: “We work with a number of local businesses including some that use our facilities for training.
“We’re an amateur community sports club where any money that comes in is spent on facilities and the things we can offer young people.
“We are always looking for new businesses to work with us.”
Newcastle Town Football Club has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
Middleport Matters
Middleport Matters offers practical, social and environmental support for the communities of Middleport, Longport, Dalehall and Burslem in Stoke-on-Trent.
It began as a volunteer group in 2015 and became a registered charity in 2024 thanks to successful funding and grant applications as well as partnerships with other local organisations.
In 2024 Middleport Matters ran 243 regular social sessions and hosted eight large-scale events, with 162 people attending weekly sessions.
3,170 individuals received support with food, hygiene products and other essential items. At Christmas, 105 selection boxes, 30 chicken dinner bags, 150 books, 36 hampers, 50 boxes of biscuits and more than 150 toys and games were distributed to the local community.
Middleport Matters is supported by 45 formal and 294 informal volunteers who collectively contributed 3,361 hours of their time in 2024.
Additionally, 56 young people regularly attended the newly established youth program from September 2024. This year Middleport Matters is opening a new youth hub, co-designed by young people in the local community.
Ongoing activities include social sessions to help reduce isolation and foster community connections, creative workshops that promote wellbeing and environmental initiatives that encourage people to use local green spaces.
Other activities include gardening, toddler groups, family support, community fun days, youth groups, heritage sessions and canal water activities.
Middleport Matters has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
West End Centre
A community centre-based charity in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent is providing a hub for local people to gather, socialise and receive support.
The West End Centre is located on London Road, Stoke and delivers purposeful services and activities to the community throughout the week. It was established at the end of 2016 and has evolved into a space that provides a wide range of services and support including a community lounge, Meet and Eat, homeless support, food bank, after school clubs and a food pantry.
It’s a welcoming, warm and safe place for individuals and groups from the local community. With three full time staff, the West End Centre relies heavily on volunteers who in turn are supported by the charity in gaining the skills to help to find employment opportunities.
The West End Centre is seen as a one-stop-shop of community kindness, with an ethos to involve, encourage and inspire. It’s a place where the local community can learn new skills, obtain help and advice but most importantly have fun and make new friends.
The West End Centre has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
As the nominator said: “The West End Centre goes above and beyond to offer support for everyone that comes through their doors.”
Sarah Mason is the Community Support and Engagement Worker at the charity and has been there for almost a decade. She is justly proud that they provide support for all members of the community, regardless of their personal situations
Sarah said: “This has never been a 9-to-5 job for me. It’s not even a job to me, it’s a passion. I feel that me and the team and our brilliant volunteers really do make a difference and we all get so much satisfaction from what we do. It would be fantastic if we could get even more volunteers to come and join us.
“We never turn anyone away and are always there for anyone who needs our support. My whole family gets involved. That’s how much the West End Centre means to us.”
Mothers Mind Staffordshire
A Stoke-on-Trent charity that provides maternal mental health peer-led help has supported more than 330 mothers since it was founded in 2021.
Mothers Mind Staffordshire was started by Sally Wilson, aged 44. Sally was herself recovering from postnatal depression and vowed to set up an organisation to provide the help, support and love that was so desperately needed.
Her aim was to create a charity that would open conversations, break down stigmas and discrimination, empower mums and educate people to support and encourage those affected by maternal mental health. As Sally says “we wrap mums with love”.
With a background in mental health, care and family support, Sally is a perinatal specialist leading a team of seven volunteers who between them possess a wide range of maternal mental health illness experience and skills.
The team’s effectiveness comes not only from its passion but also their lived experience of what the mums they encounter are going through.
Mothers Mind Staffordshire has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards by some of the mums it has worked with.
One mum said: “Mothers Mind were the first service I was brave enough to reach out to in the darkest days. All of the staff are warm, compassionate, nurturing mums with lived experience.”
Another mum said: “There are no real words to describe how supportive, empathetic and empowering the ladies are.”
Sally Wilson said: “We provide a range of support and services and collaborate with a variety of people and organisations. We see this as an eco-system focused on bringing goodness.
“We want to get the message out that it is normal and okay to feel this way and everything we do is built upon building friendships, breaking the stigma attached to maternal mental health and eventually to mums having an ownership of their recovery.
“We provide a space where invested time and love strengthens and builds the bond and attachment between mother and infant.
“We want to build the charity and continue making a difference.
“Mothers Mind Staffordshire is the only peer-led perinatal mental health charity in the city – this isn’t just a passion, it’s a mission and something that I love doing”.
Beat The Cold
A Stoke-on-Trent-based charity which aims to reduce fuel poverty and cold related ill health is helping to bring down the year-on-year fuel poverty figures within the city.
Beat The Cold has more than two decades of experience in energy advice and support within Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire. The charity is a client-led service committed to helping those who live in, or are at risk of, fuel poverty, or whose health could be detrimentally affected by a cold home.
The charity is pioneering in how it uses health data and is striving not only to make a difference within the county but to be the blueprint for best practice in England. Key to achieving their aims is building relationships, partnerships and collaborating with a variety of stakeholders to best serve those who are referred.
These partnerships include the likes of University Hospital of North Midlands Trust, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare Trust and Midlands Partnership Foundation Trust.
The charity is commissioned by local authorities and works in partnership with health boards across the county to provide a single-point-of-contact health and housing referral service.
It was also an expert witness in the development of National Institute for Health Care and Excellence (NICE) Guideline, NG6.
A team of 12 helps Beat The Cold go the extra mile to support every service user, regardless of the complexity of their situation, in an area that has the highest level of fuel poverty in the country.
The charity offers a range of services including home energy assessments, advice on managing energy bills, help with switching suppliers, accessing funding available for heating repairs and replacements, support for accessing grants and funding and providing information on energy saving measures.
Chief Executive Officer, Fiona Miller, said: “Beat the Cold has a long history of delivering significant impact and we are always looking at introducing new and innovative ways of alleviating fuel poverty to reduce health inequalities.
By supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, we are contributing to improved health and social outcomes for the area.
“There are wider underlying factors in our city that are being addressed and what we are doing at Beat The Cold is working.
“What we are all about is the people of our city and county. It’s a privilege to work with and for so many amazing people and we are thrilled to get the amazing feedback we do for the work that we do.”
Beat The Cold has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.
Alsager Animals in Need
Three generations of one family are helping to ensure the continuing welfare of animals in the Alsager area.
Alsager Animals in Need has been in existence for 38 years, and the mother and daughter combination of 88-year-old coordinator Hilary Baxter and her 52-year-old daughter and assistant coordinator Lisa Williams have put in decades of service between them, offering shelter and veterinary care for stray and abandoned cats and dogs in Alsager and the surrounding areas.
They have now been joined by Lisa’s 17-year-old son, Daniel, and are supported by a number of helpers, volunteers and fosterers to ensure this ‘small but caring’ charity continues to thrive and provide a much needed service for local animals.
Alsager Animals in Need makes every effort to trace owners but, if unsuccessful, aims to rehome through their network of local private boarding kennels and fostering shelters and houses.
All dogs and cats are given veterinary support and love and the charity puts on fundraising events, as well as giving people the opportunity to sponsor animals.
Hilary said: “We obviously need passion and love to do what we do. But we also need money too. That’s why fundraising is so important to us.
“What we do can take over our lives and so we are indebted to everyone that helps us. We get calls at any time of the day or night asking for help, so I think that it really is important that we really love what we are doing.”
After retiring from teaching, Hilary joined Alsager Animals in Need in 1990. As a youngster she had always wanted to be a vet but sees what she does now as ‘the next best thing’.
Alsager Animals in Need has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.
Re-Form Heritage
A Stoke-on-Trent-based charity is transforming at-risk historic buildings for the benefit of the local and wider community.
Re-form Heritage, based at Middleport Pottery, was appointed as the Heritage Development Trust for Stoke-on-Trent in December 2023. This status is funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England to kick-start the regeneration of key heritage sites in Stoke-on-Trent.
Their past work helped save Middleport Pottery from closure, transforming it into a visitor attraction and creative centre. This was followed by the regeneration of Victorian workers’ cottages at Harper Street across the road.
Plans are now advancing to transform Hanley’s Bethesda Methodist Chapel into an educational and events centre by the end of 2026.
Re-form Heritage has around 25 full-time staff and up to 50 volunteers. It is one of 12 social enterprises and charities across the UK empowered to take over and transform at-risk high street buildings by being granted Heritage Development Status. This status will see Re-form Heritage work alongside stakeholders throughout the city to help preserve Stoke-on-Trent’s heritage.
Dr Alasdair Brooks, Re-form Heritage’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We want to link justifiable local pride in this city to a global interest and global significance in its heritage and buildings.
“Our flagship heritage building, Middleport Pottery, has become our blueprint for future restoration projects and we are proud in how it attracts people of all ages from all over the world.
“We are now starting to expand our activity across the city and we will continue to explore opportunities, be positive and get things done. It’s so important to regenerate and create spaces for local communities, places that inspire, educate and connect people with their past and with an eye on the future.”
Re-form Heritage has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.
Alice Charity
A North Staffordshire charity that supports vulnerable and disadvantaged families across Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-Under-Lyme had a positive impact on the lives of 9,247 children and provided almost 11,000 meals for children in 2024.
Since 2011 The Alice Charity has aimed to break the poverty cycle, improve lives and change communities. They see that each family’s needs and circumstances are different and so tailor the help that they give to each family accordingly.
The charity develops sustainable solutions, supports families and makes a difference with collaboration and a multi-agency approach.
The Alice Charity employs 12 staff and has the support of a number of volunteers. From running food banks to delivering educational resources and offering advocacy and mentoring, the charity empowers individuals to build brighter futures.
Last year the charity handed out 5,700 Christmas presents to 1,404 children, facilitated 4,450 hours of volunteering, distributed 146 essential items for babies and toddlers including prams, pushchairs and highchairs, and dispended cots, moses baskets and beds for babies and children who otherwise wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep safely.
Alice Charity CEO Heather Sheldon said: “We offer fantastic support to families and children. Moving forward, we will slightly reposition ourselves and increase our focus a little more on helping children thrive, especially the birth to five years age group.
“We think it’s really important that these children have as much fun and enjoyment as possible too, and we will look to bring youngsters and families together whenever we can. The Alice Charity will continue with determination on our quest to ensure that every child, young person and family have a safe and happy life, and the foundations they need to flourish.
“We also are looking to develop our corporate relationships further to enable us to all pull together for the common good and make people as happy and healthy as possible. Together we change lives.”
The Alice Charity has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.
We Love Stoke
Whilst a couple were falling in love with each other they were falling for Stoke-on-Trent too – and this has resulted not only in a recent marriage but a hugely positive social media success story too.
Steven and Kim Levitt, who are both from the south of the country, met in The Potteries and then tied the knot in April 2025. Whilst dating, the 37 and 34-year-olds visited a number of attractions, events and eateries within the ST postcode and soon became smitten with the six towns.
The result was a huge social media sensation, We Love Stoke, founded in 2022, with many resident Stokies and city diaspora alike enjoying the Hanley-based couple’s hugely positive videos, photos and stories.
The couple champion everything Stoke-on-Trent. Their Instagram page @welovestoke has more than 11,300 followers with a website coming soon.
We Love Stoke isn’t their job and it wasn’t set up to make them money. Steven is a marketing manager and Kim is a community activator for a local charity.
Kim said: “We are massively passionate about this city, which has become our city. We met here and we love the place.
“All we wanted to do is to share that and create positivity. For us, the city has everything, including so many beautiful green spaces and parks.
“We have seen in the three years that we’ve been doing We Love Stoke that there are many, many likeminded people around. In fact, it’s the people that make this city so great – I’m not used to strangers saying hello to me in the morning.
“We didn’t expect it to take off like it has, but we get so many messages from people saying thank you for shining a light on this city – but it’s me and Steven who should be thanking the people of Stoke. It’s great to know that they can see and appreciate our love of the area.”
We Love Stoke has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.
Asha North Staffordshire
His own heartbreaking experiences as an asylum seeker led Godefroid Seminega to start a community group in Stoke-on-Trent which has grown into a charity that works with more than 400 asylum seekers and refugees a week.
Godefroid, now aged 59, had to leave his medical career when he fled from Rwanda in 2002. He eventually settled in Stoke-on-Trent where he founded Asha North Staffordshire, a group-based support service for asylum seekers and refugees.
He is now the CEO for the Hanley Business Park based organisation that has two full-time and seven part-time staff.
Since 2005 the charity has helped more than 900 people each year
from almost 50 different countries who were seeking refuge from persecution. It provides advice, clothing, food and education.
From legal advice to mental wellbeing, Asha North Staffordshire’s services provide the holistic support and guidance people need to leave crisis behind and begin to live safely.
They also host events and activities including a free lunch club, a mothers group, football get-togethers, a trip to Llandudno for 300 people and a Galaxy Club for 16 to 24-year-olds living in social care.
Godefroid said: “I found myself destitute on the streets of London, begging for money to get a bus pass to go and see my immigration associate.
“I experienced myself how difficult the process could be and so when I came to Stoke-on-Trent I really wanted to set up an organisation that could help others in the same situation.
“I’m really proud of what we do. We not only want to help asylum seekers and refugees but to change perceptions about them too.
“We are open Monday to Saturday every week and as well as our employed staff, we have more than 80 volunteers. Many of these are refugees and asylum seekers themselves and they do some fantastic work in the community such as litter picking and planting flowers.
“We are now looking to expand what we do into East Cheshire and South Staffordshire”
Asha North Staffordshire has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards 2025.
Stoke City Foundation’s Stroke Wellbeing & Peer Support Group
Stoke City Foundation joined forces with The Stroke Association to set up a group for stroke survivors and their families.
Stoke City Foundation – Stroke Wellbeing & Peer Support Group offers a safe and welcoming space where survivors can connect, share experiences and support one another.
The group offers two main sessions, which cater for a range of needs. Both are based in Ricardo’s at the bet365 Stadium, and the support on offer helps to restore confidence, foster friendships, give a renewed sense of purpose and help with wellbeing – and it also extends to supporting carers and families too.
Lewis Chell, Health & Wellbeing Co-ordinator at Stoke City Foundation said: “Our aim is to provide a supportive environment for individuals who have experienced strokes. At the heart of our group is Craig Lockett, a key member of our Foundation team.
“He himself is a stroke survivor and he has faced and overcome his own challenges with courage and determination. Craig is a role model of strength and inspiration to others.
“Beyond the physical aspects, the programme also provides an environment where individuals feel comfortable, supported and it creates a real sense of friendship. We understand that recovering from a stroke isn’t just physical, it’s also about the person’s emotional and social wellbeing too.
“Our aim is to provide a supportive environment and to transform lives and make a real contribution to the local community, at a time when they really need it.”
Stoke City Foundation – Stroke Wellbeing & Peer Support Group has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.
The nominator said: “I have seen firsthand how it makes a life-changing difference, week after week, to stroke survivors and their families. The support received has been invaluable, giving them strength, connection and hope. Quite honestly, I don’t know where they would be without it.”
The nomination was received just days after it was announced that the Stoke City Community Trust has had a rebrand to become Stoke City Foundation.
Stoke City Foundation’s mission is to connect the communities of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire by creating inclusive opportunities for everyone to play football and be active. Through the spaces they create and the programmes they deliver, the aim is to improve physical health, support mental wellbeing and educate the community on the lifelong benefits of a healthy, active lifestyle.
Every Girl Does Count
The Every Girl Does Count programme was set up by Port Vale Foundation to support girls struggling with serious mental illness.
The programme has worked with more than 30 girls so far this year, supporting their wellbeing at what can be a very challenging time of their lives.
Will Turner, Director of Community and CSR at Port Vale Football Club, said: “Our outreach community work ensures that our services reach the whole community. We worked with Excellence Academy, an Islamic girls-only school in Stoke-on-Trent. According to a 2022 study by Public Health England, South Asian women are 1.5 times more likely to suffer from common mental health disorders, such as anxiety and depression, but only 13% accessed mental health services compared to 25% of white British women.
“Every Girl Does Count gave a group of girls that had been selected by the school a chance to participate in a programme to support their health and wellbeing and work on building confidence and supporting their own mental wellbeing.
“We worked closely with Kreative foundations who delivered workshops at the beginning and the end of the programme around confidence to show the participants their own journey throughout the 12 weeks.
Kirsty from Kreative Foundations said: “I had the pleasure of delivering a session with Port Vale Foundation as part of their incredible Every Girl Does Count project — a truly inspiring initiative that empowers participants and builds their confidence.”
Will Turner added: “The programme has supported girls to change their outlook on life. Without Port Vale Foundation’s Every Girls Does Count programme many girls would be left behind, lacking confidence, aspiration and hope.”
Every Girl Does Count has been nominated in the Community Group of the Year category of the Your Heroes Awards.