Introducing Dwain McDonald
Hey Everyone,
We’re excited to announce that born and bred Stokey Dwain McDonald has joined us as the new executive lead for Made in Stoke. With his deep connection to Stoke and wealth of experience from his long career in logistics and parcels with DPD, Dwain is set to bring a new level of expertise to our project. He’s excited to share his knowledge and help us grow. Dwain says,
“After one short meeting with Nicky (Twemlow), I knew I had to join her team and help with some of the amazing ideas Made in Stoke has been cultivating. I wanted to start by expressing our vision in one document, and I think we have a clear and concise vision.
What we are about now is making a difference, and we will update everyone regularly on the impact. I would love to hear from anyone who wants to join the gang and make a difference."
Reach out to Dwain at dwain@madeinstoke.com
Dear Stokies
Can I start by thanking you all? First, for buying so many of our unique T-shirts. We can’t wait to see some of the photos shared. I am in Australia currently, sharing my Stoke pride!
Second, to everyone who has signed up to speak in schools. Kaye Morrisey, our Relationships Lead, is currently putting together the directory with bios, and we’re aiming to begin in two educational trusts with students over the coming weeks and months.Dwain McDonaldExecutive Lead
Dwain McDonald
Executive Chair, Made In Stoke
Keele and Sixth Form College
We’ve secured three brilliant speakers for the next quarter, all of whom will support the business school with in-depth Q&As. We’ve also helped facilitate an excellent workshop with the business school and will work closely in the coming months to bridge business and academia.
Please reach out if your company has outstanding projects that sixth form or Keele students could work on. A big thank you to Rachel Laver, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, who was fantastic in bringing several large businesses from Stoke, such as Motiva, KMF, and Giv Energy. I see a lot more collaboration on the horizon for 2025.
Downing Street Visit
As you know, Made in Stoke is non political and has met with representatives from the previous government and now with the new one. Place-Based philanthropy and place-based giving networks like ours are very relevant, and I'm proud to say that Stoke on Trends' very own Made in Stoke was asked to attend Downing Street, and our fabulous Chair Nicky went and represented us.
She came back very confident that the blueprint we are creating in Stoke is something the country is looking at very closely
Centenary 2025
Next year, Stoke celebrates its 100th year as a city, and you can bet we’re right behind it.
We’re working with Made in Stoke members to look at how we support our centenary year, and we expect to announce the full story later this month.
Made in Stoke Ambassadors
We’re expanding our volunteer task force to spread positive messages about the city and the work we’re doing to make it just a bit better. If you’re interested in volunteering, even just a few hours a week, and think you can make an impact, we’d love to have you on the team.
Together, we can all do a little to make our city better.
