“It’s the people that makes Stoke such a special place to live!”

Customer Advisor Jude shares her memories of what it was like working in a potbank, in celebration of our new neighbourhood patches Wedgwood, Moorcroft, and Gladstone.

Customer Advisor Jude is based at our over 55s independent living village, West End Village in Stoke.

She’s worked for the Group for the last three years, in a role that she says helps her to give back by helping and supporting her local community.

Before coming to work for Staffs Housing, as a local girl, Jude spent over 30 years working for some of Staffordshire’s largest pottery makers.

This month in celebration of our new neighbourhood patches, named after local pottery makers, Jude shares he fond memories, and tells us how the changes are making a difference at the scheme.

“I grew up living down the road from West End Village and have lived in Stoke for most of my life”, said Jude.

“When I left school at 16, I went straight into a job working for Spode.

“It’s just what everyone I knew did back then as we lived within a mile radius of about four local pottery firms!

“I started out doing Lithographing, which was where you’d check for any imperfections or blemishes, to see if it would need to be thrown out, or if they could be covered up during the painting stage.

“I left to have my daughter, and then went to work for Portmeirion because I could work around childcare commitments and was there for over 30 years!

“I started out on the factory floor, doing a number of roles like selecting which where you’d check for any imperfections or blemishes to see if they needed to be thrown out, or if they could be covered up during the decorating stage. I then went back to lithographing.

“I have such fond memories of working on the shop floor. Everyone knew everyone and we’d all just have a laugh, which would get us through the day.

“We’d then all go out on a Friday after work to wind down after a tough but happy week at work”.

(Pictured: Jude talking to residents at West End Village)

After a repetitive strain injury, Jude moved into the offices and found her passion of working with and supporting people.

“Pottery work wasn’t for the faint-hearted”, said Jude.

“You had to be made of tough stuff. There was lots of manual handling involved in the job, and doing things repeatedly often left workers with injuries. I ended up a frozen shoulder, which meant I couldn’t carry on my role as Lithographer any longer.

“Instead, I went to work in the offices, where I found my passion for customer service.

“I love people, so having a job where I’m working with and supporting people was a great move for me.

“In the office role I was customer facing, and I was helping people. It also allowed me to see more events which allowed me to meet some exciting visitors like Princess Ann and Teresa May.”

Jude shared that Stoke’s town centre was a vibrant and exciting place to be because of the local pottery firms.  

(Pictured: Staffs Housing's Independent Living Village, West End Village in Stoke)

“Stoke was such an exciting and vibrant place to be”, continued Jude.

“It was because there were so many pottery firms all within a short distance of one another, so the town centre would be humming.

“Workers would go into the town to get their lunch, and when they broke up for Christmas or the potter’s fortnight the high street and pubs would be full. Everybody knew everybody and it felt like a real community.

“Over the years as firms have left the city, it’s felt quieter obviously, but the feeling of community I think has remained the same. I think that’s because it’s the people that make Stoke such a special place to live, and they will honestly go above and beyond to support one another.

“It’s one of the reasons why I enjoy my role at the village so much! I joined three years ago, and it was honestly one of the best decisions I made.

“I love working here because there’s such an amazing community of people. Even the residents at the village will help and support each other in whatever way they can.

“In my role I’m the face of the village, and often I’ll speak to customers, and it’ll be the only conversation they have all day and that makes it a job worth doing.

“I loved that in my role I can truly make a difference to someone’s life, and I can support my local community too!”

Find out more about our new neighbourhood team and customer hub here