The New Year marks an important time – a time to reflect on how you have grown and what you have achieved over the year. Here at Smithfield, we’re immensely proud of all the amazing events and developments that have occurred on-site. Looking back at 2022, we’ve listed some of our favourites to commemorate the end of another fantastic year at Smithfield, Stoke!
Wizarding World Wand Installation (March)
Earlier this year, Smithfield hosted the stunning Wizarding World Wand Installation which toured the UK in celebration of J.K Rowling’s latest Wizarding adventure, Fantastic Beats: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Consisting of nine 15ft-tall wands representing nine Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts characters, the installation dazzled Smithfield over 7 magical days. We loved hosting the installation and it was definitely one to remember!
National Monument Against Violence – Knife Angel Statue (April)
Smithfield hosted a striking and thought-provoking 27ft-tall piece of art in April, designed by British Ironwork Centre’s Clive Knowles, and crafted by artist Alfie Bradley. The piece was built from 100,00 seized blades and aimed to raised awareness of knife crime, bringing the prevalent issue to the forefront of society’s agenda. The statue also acted as a beautiful memorial to those who have lost their lives as a result of knife crime. To commemorate it’s arrival to Stoke-On-Trent, the City Council encouraged schools to arrange visits to educate their pupils on the issue. We were honoured to welcome the statue to Smithfield for the month of April.
Smithfield Works Opened Its Doors (May)
Stoke’s first ever co-working space opened its doors right here at Smithfield!
Stoke has been on the up for a while now and Smithfield Works certainly bolstered the city’s offering. With its top-quality facilities, Smithfield Works is key to the city’s levelling-up agenda.
With its mix of private suites ranging from 4 to 14 desks, hot desking facilities, shared working spaces and ancillary break out communal areas, Smithfield Works promotes collaborative working in a contemporary, state-of-the-art environment. We also offer members 24/7 access as well as a host of other benefits.
We celebrated with a launch party back in May with food, drinks and a live DJ.
Smithfield’s Wellness Wednesday (May)
For Mental Health Awareness Week in May, we partnered up with a fantastic Holistic Wellness coach, Gabriella, to host our Wellness Wednesday, jam-packed with sessions to improve the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our staff and residents at Clayworks. From yoga and meditation, to learning how to relax your mind, to a 30-minute fitness blast, there was something for everybody looking to improve their overall wellbeing. The success of the day was a credit to Gabriella and her nine year experience instructing yoga and holistic wellness!
Better World Festival (July)
July brought you the Better World Festival, bringing together speakers, activists, pioneers, charities, community groups, and everyone with an interest in creating positive change in a weekend event. Better World Festival saw an extensive line-up spanning world music, workshops, group exercise classes, panel discussions, meditation sessions, family activities and so much more, designed to inspire new ways of thinking. Once again, Smithfield hosted a chill-out zone where attendees could take a seat and relax during the festival.
Smithfield’s Bank Holiday Cinema Weekend (August)
Back in August, Smithfield held a free outdoor cinema weekend in front of the Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, complete with food and drink for all the family. With showings of Back to the Future and The Greatest Showman, the turnout was fantastic. We hope that everyone who attended enjoyed the screenings, and it was an absolute pleasure to host!
Festive Weekend at Smithfield (December)
Earlier this month, Smithfield hosted an extra-special weekend of festive fun for Christmas, with everything from mulled wine and hot chocolate to mince pies at our cozy markets. The Christmas choir and surprise visit from Santa certainly left us feeling festive and the Christmas light switch-on by students from Newfriars’ College gave Smithfield that magical touch.
Smithfield’s New State-of-the-Art Car Park (December)
Smithfield’s brand-new multi-storey car park officially opened to the public on 12th December, located just off Potteries Way. The first-class facility boasts high-level security features, including over 100 internal CCTV cameras and a roller shutter entry and exit system fitted with automatic number plate recognition. The new development really highlights Smithfield’s role as part of Stoke-On-Trent City Council’s regeneration agenda, focusing on bringing the city together by connecting new and existing areas of the city centre.
Looking back at 2022, we are so proud of each and every event we have hosted at Smithfield and are incredibly grateful to everyone involved. Special thanks to Stoke-on-Trent BID and other partners who helped to deliver some of the projects mentioned above!
This year, we have lots more in store and much more to come. This includes a Dragons Den-style competition, where we will be giving away a year-long hot-desk membership at Smithfield Works to local businesses and entrepreneurs – details coming soon.
Here’s to 2023!