HRH Prince Charles hails Middleport as a 'beacon' for Stoke Potteries
This week the regeneration of one of the UK's oldest potteries got underway, as HRH Prince Charles visited the Middleport site in Stoke-on-Trent.
Whilst on site the Prince took a tour of the production premises, meeting workers on site and learning how the factory continues traditional methods and quality production.
He was presented with a commemorative piece of Burleigh pottery at the presentation at the end of the visit. It was here the Prince addressed the crowd and spoke of the importance to this regeneration project to many different people.
In speaking about the importance to the ceramic industry as a whole, he said: "The project at Middleport Pottery is the perfect example of using what is already there. Working together to re-use buildings, refurbishing them in honour of their history and heritage leads to sustainable regeneration."
He later added: " I hope the project at Middleport will be a bacon for the Potteries in Stoke. To those who say it can't be done, we will show that it can."
The visit signified the official launch of the regeneration on site, which will see the factory fully restored, fifty jobs saved, traditional craft techniques retained and a number of further local developments and improvements as a result of the investment and effort to save the site from closure.
We'll be running a news feature in the forthcoming Nov / Dec issue on the event and also what it means for the industry. Share your thoughts with us by emailing jo@lemapblishing.co.uk, or logging onto our Facebook www.facebook.com/tablewareintmag
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