More Than Water – Creative Canal Project at Burslem Port

More Than Water was a creative community engagement project led by Urban Wilderness CIC in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, Middleport Matters Community Group, and students from Co-op Academy Stoke-on-Trent.

The project took place around Burslem Port, near Middleport, along the Trent and Mersey Canal — a historic waterway central to Stoke-on-Trent’s industrial and cultural identity.

Through workshops, creative walks, and temporary public artworks, participants explored the canal as both a physical and emotional connector — linking people, stories and places. Students collaborated with the Urban Wilderness creative team to map sounds, images and impressions of life along the canal, using creative media to express what the waterway means to them and their community.

By bringing together young people, artists and local organisations, More Than Water celebrated the canal as more than a remnant of industrial heritage. It became a living space for creativity, wellbeing and belonging — reminding us that water connects not only landscapes, but lives.