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Post by Eggybread on Dec 15, 2019 10:55:53 GMT
All I will say is that its a big world out there we get one life and one crack at it and I intend to see as much of it as I can.I left when I was eighteen I do go back often and have many friends and some family in the area though. Happy I left = of course Would I go back =yes,eventually.
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Post by bathstoke on Dec 15, 2019 11:41:39 GMT
All I will say is that its a big world out there we get one life and one crack at it and I intend to see as much of it as I can.I left when I was eighteen I do go back often and have many friends and some family in the area though. Happy I left = of course Would I go back =yes,eventually. I used to romantically say I’d go back, but neither it or me are the same as we were...
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Post by neworleanstokie on Dec 15, 2019 15:24:30 GMT
Recently had my DNA checked on Ancestry - 66% Potteries so I don't think you ever actually "leave" but I left in 84 and have only gone back for family visits. Hard to place yourself back in the late 80s but going back to S-o-T to work at Wedgwood after Poly simply was not an exciting option vs the opportunity of moving to London and then onto the US. Lived in London for a year then moved to Boston, Miami/Ft Lauderdale, Birmingham (Alabama), New Orleans (obviously), Hoboken and finally Manhattan, NY. I'm proud of my heritage but saddened to see how the culture and wonderful Victorian architecture of the Potteries has eroded over the last 30+ years. Local councils have not cared for preservation taking down heritage buildings to build a Nando's or Maccy D's is not progress. How accurate is this dna checker? They could tell you anything Shirley its very accurate. I have my family tree back to the 18th century (Isle of Skye) and 16th century (Barlaston). The DNA reconfirmed this plus came up with 4% Norway - Viking ancestry.
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Post by Little Gary Patel on Dec 15, 2019 19:35:24 GMT
If not, why not? If you have not left, why not? I left at 22/23, over 10 years ago. Best thing that ever happened to me. Opened my mind when I left. I would never move back. Where do you live now? Is Stoke that bad? Do i need to spread my wings and fly elsewhere? Where does Trevor live? Somewhere a little more socially liberal?
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Post by clarkeda on Dec 15, 2019 20:20:03 GMT
Moved away for college at 16-18 and couldn’t wait to come back.
Moved to scholar green a couple of years ago and will probably move further into Cheshire when I have a family and can’t say I miss it all that much (but then again I’m not really 100% out of it)
The potential of getting offered a job abroad is increasing and so is the likelihood of actually accepting it.
To me, stoke isn’t the place it used to be but it is, and will always be, home.
But there is a big world out there filled with opportunity.
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Post by Goonie on Dec 15, 2019 23:10:40 GMT
I left in 1990 and moved to Stafford
I left because I thought there must be more to life than doing a job I hate and then drinking away the weekends to forget my misery
Most people I knew couldn't see beyond the next fag, pint or tv programme
I returned briefly mid-90's
I now live on the Shropshire border and plan to stay in these parts
I cant imagine moving back as I hate cities and urban sprawl and all the problems that ensues
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Post by Staffsoatcake on Dec 16, 2019 8:43:49 GMT
Left in 1982,would move back if it were not for malady.
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Post by bathstoke on Dec 16, 2019 9:36:27 GMT
I left in 1990 and moved to Stafford I left because I thought there must be more to life than doing a job I hate and then drinking away the weekends to forget my misery Most people I knew couldn't see beyond the next fag, pint or tv programme I returned briefly mid-90's I now live on the Shropshire border and plan to stay in these parts I cant imagine moving back as I hate cities and urban sprawl and all the problems that ensues
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Post by Goonie on Dec 16, 2019 13:04:09 GMT
Left in 1982,would move back if it were not for malady. And which malady is this? Melancholy? 😁😉
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Post by estrangedsonoffaye on Dec 16, 2019 16:07:46 GMT
Left in 2013 for university in Nottingham, been here ever since.
I can't say I miss it too much really, a lot of my friends didn't leave go to Uni at all and are still in the city so I see them pretty much every other week for Stoke and pint or two after the game. There's just nothing in Stoke that would support my area of work in human biology/physiology so I've never really considered coming back.
I live slap bang in the middle of a regenerated City Centre and it's buzzing virtually every night, there's always stuff to do and innovative things popping up. It feels alive, Ice Hockey fills my Saturdays whenever Stoke aren't on and I feel as much part of that club as I do Stoke, hence my avatar. Just to give you an idea of how big it is, Nottingham Panthers average about 1,000 more fans than the League 2 average attendance. I'm always envious whenever I go past the City Ground on matchday and there's that connection between the city, its streets a football club and its fans. It's something we lost. In the summer I can pop 5 minutes down the road to Trent Bridge and take in a T20 game or the close of County Play. It's something Stoke isn't big enough or centralised enough to support. Nottingham's pub scene absolutely shits on Stoke's too.
It's sad to see all but a few bits of Stoke that are exactly the same or worse than when I left 6 years ago. Nottingham has a tram service that runs all the way across the city which would help out a lineated city like Stoke so much but I can't see it ever happening. I'm sure one day Stoke will get the lift it badly needs but I can't ever see myself moving back.
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Post by Little Gary Patel on Jan 5, 2020 2:37:49 GMT
The mouthy majority on this board make me glad I've left tbh. It was aggressive and racist. It's turned into a worse place than when I left. But now it's legitimised
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Post by maxplonk on Jan 5, 2020 10:53:48 GMT
Went to Uni in '83 and was very happy to get out. (Probably more a reflection on me rather than Stoke.) Every move since has taken me further away....no regrets.
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Post by xchpotter on Jan 5, 2020 11:17:51 GMT
Left in the late 80's to work in London which then led to a move to Dorset in the 90's.
Most people I knocked around with either left or sadly passed away in the area. I only really have family left now who I visit when I come up.
Part of me thinks one day I may return in a spiritual sense, but realistically I doubt I will due to the quality of life my location gives me and my family. Additionally, whenever I do go back, a bit more changes and not for the better... I find it difficult to recognise and relate to many of the aspects of the city which it has now become and this does make me a little sad.
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Post by marylandstoke on Jan 5, 2020 14:32:52 GMT
Never had the privilege of living there. Grew up (debatable) in Cheshire. Folks moved to Mid Wales then I left for Hendon for college. Back to Llandrindod Wells to help finish the folks house then a touring career that took me all over the world. Now in sight of The Chesapeake Bay. My wife (American) says if we go down we should move “home” so we can get to the games. I thought my days of the third division were over but.....
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Post by neworleanstokie on Jan 5, 2020 14:38:49 GMT
Left in 2013 for university in Nottingham, been here ever since. I can't say I miss it too much really, a lot of my friends didn't leave go to Uni at all and are still in the city so I see them pretty much every other week for Stoke and pint or two after the game. There's just nothing in Stoke that would support my area of work in human biology/physiology so I've never really considered coming back. I live slap bang in the middle of a regenerated City Centre and it's buzzing virtually every night, there's always stuff to do and innovative things popping up. It feels alive, Ice Hockey fills my Saturdays whenever Stoke aren't on and I feel as much part of that club as I do Stoke, hence my avatar. Just to give you an idea of how big it is, Nottingham Panthers average about 1,000 more fans than the League 2 average attendance. I'm always envious whenever I go past the City Ground on matchday and there's that connection between the city, its streets a football club and its fans. It's something we lost. In the summer I can pop 5 minutes down the road to Trent Bridge and take in a T20 game or the close of County Play. It's something Stoke isn't big enough or centralised enough to support. Nottingham's pub scene absolutely shits on Stoke's too. It's sad to see all but a few bits of Stoke that are exactly the same or worse than when I left 6 years ago. Nottingham has a tram service that runs all the way across the city which would help out a lineated city like Stoke so much but I can't see it ever happening. I'm sure one day Stoke will get the lift it badly needs but I can't ever see myself moving back. I lived in Nottingham from 84-88 (Trent Poly). We had our 30 year re-union there a coupe of years ago. We couldn't believe how great the city looked and how much progress had been made since we all left. As you said great night life and plenty to do. Stayed in the Lace Market area which had some very nicely preserved Victorian buildings. I could not even remember that area from the 80s as it must have been very run down back then. We took some pics at our old haunts (Rock City, Yates' etc.) and had a fantastic weekend.
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Post by Linx on Jan 5, 2020 22:33:31 GMT
I left Stoke and Staffordshire for a job, and I can't say I miss it, apart from the people, who were amongst the friendliest in the country. I do owe the City a lot as I am primarily a ceramics specialist in antiques and I virtually built a career on being "from Stoke". However I have lived in some beautiful parts of England, including Oxfordshire, South Warwickshire and Somerset, and the different lifestyle is very easy to get used to. Have you read Pies & Prejudice, Stuart Marconie’s tribute to the north? He doesn’t think Stokies are friendly at all, in fact, he describes us as downright dangerous and Neanderthal. Cheeky bastard - he’s from Wigan. Wigan FFS!
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Post by lawrieleslie on Jan 6, 2020 11:44:26 GMT
I left to join the RN in 1969. Never really thought about "leaving Stoke" apart from not watching Stoke City regularly. I had a butchers apprenticeship lined up with Dewhursts up Anlee duck if my navy application failed so must have been happy to stay in the Potteries. Very proud of my Potteries heritage though most of my ancestors were either potters or miners. Rarely come now back as I only have a cousin and sister still up there. Lived in various places around Plymouth and South Devon and had a short stint in Portsmouth which I hated. Now settled in South Hams of Devon.
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Post by yeokel on Jan 6, 2020 12:48:41 GMT
I was born in Burslem but left for Somerset nearly 30 years ago (for work). I feel nostalgic for the place (S-o-T and N-u-L) and have happy memories of living there, of the people there and of some of the little things which added to the quality of like there such as Wrights Pies, Oatcake shops and the Theatre in the round in ‘Castle. But, culturally, I feel I’ve moved on from the Potteries. I love live theatre, ballet & opera and think I could not get ‘my fill’ of them in Stoke. And I find I’m less and less interested in football so attend fewer and fewer matches and don’t bother with it on the telly either. Whenever I come up to visit the few remaining relatives I still have there I feel less and less connected to the place. I’m actually quite sad about that as, paradoxically, I also feel more and more connected to the place as I develop more and more of my family tree and family history. But my connection is to Stoke’s past, not its present or future. Next year, I will have lived in Somerset longer than I lived in N.Staffs so I guess I now think of here, where all of my married life has been and where my children were born, as home. And the aim for this year is to move house and live by the sea. Will I get another thirty years of life to spend by the sea? I doubt it but I do recognise, with a slight tear in my eye, that I’ll never live in the Potteries or, indeed, anywhere in the midlands or north or England again. And it’s too cold up there too
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Post by Staffsoatcake on Jan 6, 2020 13:20:31 GMT
Left in 1982,Marlady got homesick after 10 years and wanted back home to Ireland, but I would move back to Stoke, no trouble, but Marlady would'nt.
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Post by SCFC92 on Jan 6, 2020 13:30:41 GMT
Moved away back in 2010 for University, was back and forth through UNI and then my time abroad Live Daaaarn Saaaarf now, miss the city, it will always be "home", but I'm settled where I am
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Post by bathstoke on Jan 6, 2020 13:32:58 GMT
I was born in Burslem but left for Somerset nearly 30 years ago (for work). I feel nostalgic for the place (S-o-T and N-u-L) and have happy memories of living there, of the people there and of some of the little things which added to the quality of like there such as Wrights Pies, Oatcake shops and the Theatre in the round in ‘Castle. But, culturally, I feel I’ve moved on from the Potteries. I love live theatre, ballet & opera and think I could not get ‘my fill’ of them in Stoke. Tell how exactly you are sating your appetite for ballet & opera in Yeovil!?!
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Post by yeokel on Jan 6, 2020 14:37:32 GMT
I was born in Burslem but left for Somerset nearly 30 years ago (for work). I feel nostalgic for the place (S-o-T and N-u-L) and have happy memories of living there, of the people there and of some of the little things which added to the quality of like there such as Wrights Pies, Oatcake shops and the Theatre in the round in ‘Castle. But, culturally, I feel I’ve moved on from the Potteries. I love live theatre, ballet & opera and think I could not get ‘my fill’ of them in Stoke. Tell how exactly you are sating your appetite for ballet & opera in Yeovil!?! The Octagon in Yeovil has quite a few ballet performances. And opera too. As do the McMillan in Bridgwater, the Brewhouse in Taunton, Westlands in Yeovil to name but a few. I daresay there’s a few in Bath too if I could be bothered to travel that far.
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Post by bathstoke on Jan 6, 2020 15:08:56 GMT
Tell how exactly you are sating your appetite for ballet & opera in Yeovil!?! The Octagon in Yeovil has quite a few ballet performances. And opera too. As do the McMillan in Bridgwater, the Brewhouse in Taunton, Westlands in Yeovil to name but a few. I daresay there’s a few in Bath too if I could be bothered to travel that far. Are you talking screened performances or live, cause we don’t have any live shows in Bath.
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Post by potterenfrance on Jan 6, 2020 15:27:20 GMT
Yes lol
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Post by yeokel on Jan 6, 2020 15:41:21 GMT
The Octagon in Yeovil has quite a few ballet performances. And opera too. As do the McMillan in Bridgwater, the Brewhouse in Taunton, Westlands in Yeovil to name but a few. I daresay there’s a few in Bath too if I could be bothered to travel that far. Are you talking screened performances or live, cause we don’t have any live shows in Bath. I'm talking live. (although Westlands is usually screened). Who'd have ever thought that Yeovil could be more upmarket than Bath? (we don't even have a Waitrose in Yeovil!)
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Post by danceswithclams on Jan 6, 2020 16:05:52 GMT
Lived away for near enough 10 years (Manchester then Sheffield), came back for a couple of years then fucked off to London for a bit then came back again. Been here for 5 years since returning from London.
I'd be up for leaving for good again anytime soon but I just can't get the same quality of dust anywhere else.
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Post by thevoid on Jan 7, 2020 1:40:03 GMT
Left Stoke 12 years ago. Lived in Dallas Texas for 4 years before returning back to the UK and settling in Essex and finally returning back to Stoke (Trentham) 18 months ago. Currently living in Audlem. The City I returned to has changed massively over the past decade or so and not for the better. I'm happy to be back in the local vicinity but I wouldn't like to live within the city walls again any time soon Are you sure it was Dallas?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2020 1:49:14 GMT
Left in 1982,would move back if it were not for malady. You don’t need to know how to sing to live in stoke mate.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 7, 2020 2:02:45 GMT
Common theme of this thread is people saying the city has changed massively, even in as short a period as 10 years, and not for the better. Nobody seems to elaborate too much though. I’d be interested to hear a detailed explanation of what people think is changing for the worse, and why people seem to think this is.
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Post by neworleanstokie on Jan 10, 2020 19:51:17 GMT
Common theme of this thread is people saying the city has changed massively, even in as short a period as 10 years, and not for the better. Nobody seems to elaborate too much though. I’d be interested to hear a detailed explanation of what people think is changing for the worse, and why people seem to think this is. I mentioned the destruction of heritage buildings. Can't recall the name of the school that they demolished in N-u-L but it was a lovely Victorian building near the bus station across the road from the swimming baths (also demolished) that were also unique Victorian architecture. That's what I've noticed over 30 years, the councils just don't care and call it "progress" - then I presume they shuffle off for Pizza Express.
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