HOW WAS THE FESTIVAL FUNDED?
Keele University funded Stoking Curiosity 2018 from
the UK Research and Innovation’s Strategic Support
to Expedite Embedding Public Engagement grant.
PLANNING AND INVOLVEMENT
Stoking Curiosity was planned by a group of people
consisting of University and local voluntary, arts and
community organisation staff, people of Stoke-on-Trent and
Newcastle-under-Lyme, and Stoke-on-Trent City Council staff.
David Amigoni and Lotika Singha from Keele University led
the organisation and management of Stoking Curiosity.
Penny Vincent and Nic Gratton from Staffordshire University
supported the planning, and led the community engagement
and evaluation activities. Other staff from Keele University
gave advice and support to plan the festival and at the
events. More than 400 hours of paid staff time was spent
coordinating the festival.
Staff at the festival site at Spode also took part in planning
the festival and organising over the two days. Over 30
volunteers from Keele and Staffordshire University and the
community gave more than 300 hours to support the festival.
INVITATIONS
The Stoking Curiosity planning group invited
people to offer to run an activity at the festival.
Anyone with an idea and an activity to share was
encouraged to apply. We asked people to tell us:
• ‘What are you curious about?’
• ‘What makes your proposal exciting?’
• ‘How will you involve visitors?’
We sent information to University staff and students and the
wider community. We used email, social media, the Keele
University website, posters and flyers, and the planning
group also talked to people.
We had 56 offers. All the proposals fitted well with our aims.
Most presenters heard about the event by email or from other
people. The most common way was through information
shared in the Universities, which worked very well at
Staffordshire University. The Keele University presenters
were mainly people who were invited to take part or who
heard about the festival in other ways.
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