With the seventh Staffordshire Day fast approaching, Enjoy Staffordshire has compiled a list of the 10 top events and other ways to get involved in the occasion.
The annual county celebration, organised by Enjoy Staffordshire and We Are Staffordshire, and supported by Staffordshire County Council and the county’s other local authorities, is back on Monday 1st May, with plenty of events to enjoy for families and couples alike.
The Great Garden Party, at National Memorial Arboretum, Lichfield, promises to be a great family day out, with giant garden games, craft activities, live music and the outrageous Garden Bugs characters causing mayhem.
There’s outdoor fun in Newcastle-under-Lyme too, as Funtopia returns to Brampton Park, bringing inflatables, water fights, ride-ons, and more, while there’s an exclusive autism-friendly session with limited numbers, no music, and sensory games earlier in the day.
The adventures take on a prehistoric feel at Statfold, Tamworth, where Statfold Goes Jurassic combines soft play and locomotive rides with dinosaur shows and meet and greets.
There are smaller, but equally terrifying, animals – including snakes and tarantulas – on show at the National Forest Adventure Farm, near Burton upon Trent, for Crazy Critters!
At The Trentham Estate, The Great British Food Festival features chef demos, baking competitions, and artisan stalls, while there’s a mouth-watering menu in Tamworth, as the free-to-enter Dine ‘n’ Devour comes to the Pleasure Grounds.
Enjoy a classic Staffordshire start to the day on Churnet Valley Railway’s Breakfast Train, before walking it off with a stroll among the bluebells at Deep Hayes Country Park, near Leek, as part of the Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival.
Flowers will take centre stage at Weston Park’s Plant Hunters Fair too, where there will be stalls offering plants from all over the world, and experts on hand to offer gardening advice and answer questions.
And the Staffordshire Day Film Festival, at the Mitchell Arts Centre, Stoke-on-Trent, will showcase the best entries and announce the winners of this year’s film competition.
Staffordshire Day itself began in 2016, marking 1,000 years since the county was first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and became an annual event to celebrate Staffordshire’s rich heritage and culture, as well as stunning places to visit.
The date, decided by a public vote in 2015, also marks the anniversary of Josiah Wedgwood setting up his world-famous Staffordshire pottery company in 1759.
For more information, visit www.enjoystaffordshire.com/staffsday