Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Welcome to the North Midlands
The historic North Midlands, an area that covers beautiful Staffordshire, the rugged Peak District to the east, the affluent Cheshire plain to the north and the rolling hills of Shropshire and the border with Wales to the west. The North Midlands has three designated conservation areas, Cannock Chase and the Shropshire Hills are Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, while the Peak District was the very first National Park and still one of only 10 across the whole of England.
University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) sits in the centre of Staffordshire, with Derbyshire, Cheshire and Shropshire all within easy commuting distance. Across the region there are beautiful towns and villages surrounding the historic industrial city of Stoke-on-Trent and the county town of Stafford, where the Trust’s hospitals are located.
The Trust attracts NHS staff nationally and internationally as it is one of only 21 university teaching hospitals in the country. UHNM is also one of the largest acute trusts nationally with over 11,000 staff, including 450 consultants – many involved in cutting edge research. A new hospital built in Stoke-on-Trent in 2011 and a complete refurbishment of County Hospital in 2016 means the Trust really is a fantastic place to maintain or build a career. The area also has an abundance of excellent schools, a wide variety of housing, every amenity possible and the friendliest people in the country.
If you do need to escape this beautiful part of the world, the large metropolitan cities of Manchester and Birmingham are a stone’s throw away, each with an international airport.
And with London just 90 minutes on the train down the west coast mainline, which serves both our hospitals, the North Midlands really is the place to be to work and live.
Staffordshire is a predominantly rural county with the county town of Stafford sitting in the centre. It is surrounded by thriving market towns and villages, offering plentiful shopping, the historic Stafford Castle, the Shugborough Estate, museums, galleries and family attractions. Each year Stafford is also home to numerous events, including the acclaimed annual Shakespeare Festival, Stafford Art Festival and the County Show.
There are plenty of opportunities to walk, cycle or ride through acres of stunning countryside, including the towering crags of The Roaches, the heather heathland and rolling hills of Cannock Chase an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There is also the leafy woodland and farmland of the National Forest, numerous peaceful canal paths running through the whole of Staffordshire, and lakes including Chasewater and Lake Rudyard. One of the UK’s best visitor attractions is based in Staffordshire, the theme park of Alton Towers.
Stafford and neighbouring Stone are beautiful market towns. But if idyllic villages are your thing, they are surrounded by the villages of Eccleshall, Abbots Bromley and Acton Trussell, all within easy driving distance. Central Staffordshire has numerous excellent schools to choose from. County Hospital is located right at the heart of the County.
Stoke-on-Trent is the World Capital of Ceramics, a place where the skyline was once dominated by hundreds of distinct pottery kilns. Today people visit the city to explore the history of ceramics and the pottery industry with numerous visitor centres, museums and factory shops. Due to its heritage and industry, the city is affectionately known as The Potteries. Adjoining the city is Newcastle-under-Lyme – with Royal Stoke University Hospital sitting on the border of both.
Stoke-on-Trent is a unique city that was originally formed by the grouping of six towns – Stoke, Hanley, Fenton, Longton, Burlsem, and Tunstall. The city is the cultural hub of the region, with entertainment and events throughout the year, including shows for theatre lovers at the Victoria Hall, The Regent Theatre and The New Vic Theatre.
There is plenty to do for families at the Trentham Estate with the magnificent Trentham Gardens, Shopping Village and Monkey Forest. Older children will enjoy splashing around at Stoke-on-Trent’s indoor aqua park, Waterworld, or enjoying the snow at the Stoke Ski Centre. And for sports lovers, the city hosts Premier League football club Stoke City, and football league club Port Vale FC.
Stoke-on-Trent was one of the great cities of Victorian England. With its location in the heart of England, Stoke-on-Trent boasts quick and convenient links with most major cities in the UK. Situated just 90 minutes by train to London Euston and under an hour to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool.
The city is ringed by a vast number of smaller villages in northern Staffordshire if city living isn’t for you. Hanchurch, Betley, Woore & Audlem, Keele, Madeley, Whitmore & Baldwins Gate, Maer, Trentham & Barlaston, Stallington & Fulford, Stockton Brook, Stanley, Bagnall and Endon are just a few…we could go on. All of which are a short drive from Royal Stoke University Hospital.
www.visitstoke.co.uk
Cheshire borders the North Midlands and is within easy access of Royal Stoke University Hospital. It is an area bursting with many quaint market towns and villages with independent shops, galleries and markets. The Cheshire plain and countryside alone is dotted with sought after places to live, including the towns of Knutsford, Alderley Edge, Nantwich, Middlewich, Sandbach and Alsager.
Many of the towns and villages are linked by the Cheshire ring of canals that run through the county.
The southern towns of Cheshire are just a 30 minute commute to Royal Stoke and Alderley Edge and Knutsford a further 10 minutes away. There are a large variety of excellent comprehensive and private schools in Cheshire and many of our staff live in this area for these reasons.
Derbyshire and the Peak District sits on the North East of the region. As the very first National Park, the area is famous for the great outdoors, covering over 500 square miles in total. The Peak District offers a variety of countryside to explore and is rich in wildlife, with many dales and valleys, rock faces and caves, lakes, rivers and streams and vast woodlands.
The market town of Leek sits on the edge of the Peak District, and many of our staff live in the town or surrounding villages. It’s an ideal place for those who want to live with amenities, but within easy striking distance of the best rugged countryside. Every year staff from the hospitals take part in the Rudyard Dragon Boat race on nearby stunning Rudyard Lake.
Shropshire, an area that is a quiet, unspoilt and rural compared to other parts of the North Midlands, sits on the west of the region. Although tranquil, Shropshire has many traditional market towns and villages, including Market Drayton, Loggerheads and Ashley. Shropshire is a landscape unique and great for walking and exploring, with vast unspoilt countryside to explore from the Shropshire Hills, Meres and Mosses wetlands and the Shropshire Union and Llangollen canals.
If University Hospitals of North Midlands sounds like your cup of tea, we would love to hear from you.