05.06.23 – 850 YEar Celebrations in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Trading Standards Animal Health Team Role

A year-long celebration of Newcastle-under-Lyme’s heritage will reach a peak this month with a whole series of events.

This year is a special one for the Borough, as it marks the 850th anniversary of King Henry II’s granting of the Royal Charter of Incorporation, issued in 1173.

Celebrations and activities this month range from a mini-circus and a re-enactment of medieval life, to military parades, yarn-bombing the Ironmarket and rediscovering the stories of famous residents.

A full list of this month’s community events can be found here. Highlights include:

• Saturday June 3: Free family day of medieval entertainment and fantastical fun at Brampton Museum and Park, including re-enactments, combat displays, wandering minstrels and a dragon!
• Saturday, June 10: Castle Yarn Bombers will be adorning Ironmarket trees with their handiwork.
• Thursday, June 15: A special archive film show looking at the father of the modern circus, Philip Astley.
• Saturday, June 17: Celebrate a famous son of Newcastle-under-Lyme, with Astley’s Homecoming to the town centre, a day of outdoor circus fun featuring plenty of acts to keep children of all ages amused or enthralled.
• Thursday, June 22: a special tour of ‘The Lost Charter’ exhibition, looking at attempts to conserve the Borough’s historic collection of subsequent Charters through the centuries.
• Saturday, June 24: Armed Forces Day sees a parade, scores of military vehicles, food, drink and a vibrant general market, including young traders taking a stall for the first time.

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Looking after the welfare of animals and livestock in Staffordshire is an important role and falls to Staffordshire County Council’s Trading Standards Animal Health team.

Last week Officers were on site before, during and after the show to ensure that the laws governing the health and welfare of livestock were met, to offer advice and guidance to the wider farming community.  Over the two days more than 2,500 animals took part, including cattle, sheep, pigs and horses.

The team worked with event organisers and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to make sure the rules were followed and the animals were safe and their welfare needs met.

The team are also responsible for overseeing the rules relating to animal health and welfare at more than 3,500 farms across the county. This includes enforcing the rules for bovine tuberculosis and disease outbreaks such as avian influenza as well as animal welfare rules on farm or in transport.

People can read more about the work of the Trading Standards Animal Health Team here.