In celebration of Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID’s Better World Festival which takes place across the city from 6th – 8th August, The Potteries Centre will be joining in the festivities with a series of green initiatives and activities shoppers can get involved with at the centre.
Over the course of the weekend, shoppers and their families will be able to exchange five plastic carrier bags for the chance to take part in a tote bag making workshop on the upper mall. During the workshop, visitors will be able to get creative and customise a cotton tote bag to take home. All plastic bags collected during the event will be turned into pellets by recycling company; TerraCycle, who will use these pellets make a range of new plastic products including furniture, planters and playground equipment.
Other family friendly activities taking place across the weekend include the Chill Out Retreat at The Hive, a mindfulness haven where shoppers can relax, listen to music and unwind.
The Alice Charity will be at the Centre on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th August, talking to families about their cause and will have a range of games and activities for shoppers to get involved in.
The centre has also partnered with Stoke Reads to launch the Story Quest book trail, which will see copies of the Connecting Stories ‘City of Kindness’ anthology hidden in various locations around the centre throughout the weekend. The anthology is a compilation of stories, poems and reflections from 7-11 year olds living in Stoke and each copy found, will be free for shoppers to take the book home to keep.
As an extra treat, the weekend will see the return of art, culture, education and recycling project, STOKE 2000, with visitors able to get their hands on a selection of the project’s special reclaimed wooden pallet garden wall planters, insect hotels, bird feeders and bird boxes from the pop-up stall located on the upper mall on 8th August.
Commenting on the upcoming celebrations, Amy Whittaker, General Manager of The Potteries Centre, said:
“It’s fantastic to be able to join the Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and the rest of the city in celebrating greener, more sustainable choices during what is set to be a wonderful weekend.
“There are so many great ways for Stokies to get involved, whether that’s recycling their old plastic bags and creating their own customised tote bag or even taking time to clear their head and foster more mindfulness at our Chill Out Retreat. And, for those who have been inspired by the weekend to do even more for the planet, a wide selection of our retailers offer yearlong sustainable initiatives including the opportunity to recycle their make-up at Superdrug, trade their old games at GAME or to shop a variety of eco ranges at WHSmith and H&M.
She added:
“We are constantly working hard to foster more sustainable practices across the centre. In 2019 we were proud to make an energy saving of 5% within the centre. We are also looking at how we can introduce more biodiversity to the centre. We’ve recently trialled meadow bombs to grow wildflowers in previously bare areas around the outside of centre and we are exploring the possibility of introducing a bio wall.
We continue to actively reduce energy consumption by constantly reviewing centre processes including phased lighting, installation of lighting sensors, continued replacement of bulbs to more energy efficient lighting and making use of natural ventilation. We also work with a specialist waste management company to ensure that as much of our waste as possible is recycled.”
“We look forward to welcoming visitors to join us in celebrating a really special weekend.”
For more information about The Better World Festival, visit https://potteriescentre.co.uk/bid-better-world-festival/
