• The long-awaited Staffy Trail is expected to generate at least £600,000 for Staffordshire's visitor economy.

• The trail, featuring 10 Staffy sculptures and 40 mystery stops, is expected to attract more than 30,000 visitors.

• Spanning multiple locations, the Staffy Trail will be the first of its kind in the region.

• People are being encouraged to organise their own events to help mark the 10th anniversary of Staffordshire Day.

• This year’s celebrations include the launch of the new Staffy Trail, which aims to draw visitors into town centres.

• Communities, businesses and organisations are urged to submit their events to the Visit Staffordshire website, with promotional material available to download to support participation.

• Sixteen adult social care workers and three teams have been recognised for their work in social work
• Over 300 were nominated by their colleagues this year
• The British Association of Social Workers, who run the awards event, has featured their accomplishments online as part of their World Social Work Day celebrations

Nominations for the 2026 Dignity in Care Awards will open on Wednesday 1 April celebrating the compassion, respect and dedication shown by professional carers of adults. Unpaid Carers will also be recognised at ceremony later this year

• More than 2,000 carers have accessed training through new social care learning platform
• The training launched as a pilot in 2025 and has proven to be successful
• The learning portal offers free or low-cost courses and includes e-learning and in-person training sessions

• New county farms policy statement will protect estate land from sale

• County council wants to support local food security

• County farms continue to provide access into the industry for ambitious farmers

• A pilates instructor has opened the town’s first fully equipped pilates studio at the Stafford Business Innovation Centre.

• Emma Davey retrained after Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ended her dance career, with pilates central to her recovery.

• Supported by the county council’s enterprise centre network, the studio offers specialist sessions for a wide range of health needs.

• The Ignite programme, teaching enterprise skills to young people, has returned for its sixth year.

• New to the programme is a Dragon's Den-style competition, where students will be invited to put together a business plan and pitch it to a panel of judges, with prizes up for grabs.

• Ignite has helped more than 30,000 young people across Staffordshire to develop business skills.

• Work has now started on Phase 3/5 of the Borough Road cycleway project in Burton.

• This latest phase will see crews work on Wellington Street and will take around two weeks to complete.

• Work paused for two weeks to allow for repairs on Stapenhill Road without causing excessive disruption.

• Trentham Estate is the first organisation to sponsor a ‘Staffy’ sculpture for a new public art trail celebrating 10 years of Staffordshire Day.

• The sculpture will be displayed in Stafford during the 10 week trail before returning to Trentham as a lasting legacy.

• Painted by local schoolchildren, the sculpture will feature Trentham’s colours and help promote Staffordshire to visitors and businesses.