'Colour, creativity and connection...'

Arts centre planning two years of events after securing £213,000 lottery cash

- Sentinel Reporter

A CITY arts centre dedicated to the memory of one of North Staffordshire's most famous sons has secured funding to mark a major celebration project.

The Mitchell Arts Centre (MAC) in Hanley, below, is planning two years of events leading up to its 70th anniversary in 2027.

And it has now revealed that Gaze has secured a £218,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The story of the Mitchell Arts Centre began in the aftermath of the Second World War when communities across the country were rebuilding not only their homes, but their hope.

Stoke-on-Trent rose to that challenge by building a youth centre dedicated to the memory of Butt Lane-born Reginald Mitchell, the local engineer behind the legendary Spitfire that helped turn the tide of the war during the Battle of Britain in 1940.