County-wide celebration underway for Staffordshire Day

Residents and businesses across Lichfield and Tamworth are being invited to celebrate Staffordshire this weekend.

Communities will be celebrating the county 's success during the sixth annual Staffordshire Day event taking place this Saturday, 1 May.

The annual event recognises the community 's pride in the county, with a special focus this year on celebrating the resilience of Staffordshire based businesses.

Staffordshire Day historically falls on the anniversary of the county 's famous potter, Josiah Wedgwood, who set up his pottery company in 1759 and helped transform Staffordshire into the centre for the world 's ceramics industry.

Carrying on the tradition, this year 's Staffordshire Day will host a range of activities and give praise to the people and businesses that make the region what it is today.

A Virtual Market will be taking place on the day, highlighting food and drink producers and artisan makers promoting their products.

Tourism businesses will also be offering vouchers and offers in a bid to welcome visitors back to the county.

The winners of a new Staffordshire Day Film Festival competition, sponsored by the Staffordshire Film Archive, will also be revealed on Saturday.

The competition invited professional and amateur filmmakers to make a 30-minute film promoting the county. The winner of the competition will win a £500 cash prize.

The Love Letters to Staffordshire initiative has also invited residents to share video messages of their appreciation for the county on social media, alongside the hashtag #StaffordshireDay.

Everyone is encouraged to post about the day on social media via the same #StaffordshireDay hashtag.

Chris Brewerton (pictured), senior relationship and business development manager for the Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce, said: "Lichfield and Tamworth and surrounding areas are a fantastic part of the county to live, work and socialise in and we count many fantastic businesses and longstanding Chamber members based in the area who bring so much to the Staffordshire economy.

"From Drayton Manor Park to Lichfield Cathedral to Tamworth Castle, not to mention longstanding brands based in the area like Arthur Price (dining cutlery manufacturers since 1902) and Apollo Chemicals (a world renowned chemicals firm based in Tamworth for over 4 decades), independent restaurants such as the Michelin Guide featured The Boat Inn and Christopher 's Tamworth will play a huge part in flying the flag for our area as we continue to emerge from the pandemic.

"Having witnessed the struggles of many of our members throughout the past 12 months it is fantastic to be able to start to look forward and work with partners and stakeholders throughout the county as we take a moment to appreciate all businesses and people involved in making Staffordshire a great place to be."