'You can't find better people than Stokies'

Stoke-on-Trent has been marking its 100th birthday this week, after King George V declared it a city on 5 June 1925.

As part of the celebrations, BBC Radio Stoke is gathering residents' stories and asking them to sign a giant oatcake card.

These "Stokie stories" will be displayed in an exhibition later this year at the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley. Here are some of the Stokies who have spoken to us so far.

Laura Price studied in London for two years and was so "terribly homesick" she couldn't wait to get back.

"I absolutely hated it - the people weren't like Stokies, I missed Stoke."

Laura says she particularly missed her hometown's friendly and chatty atmosphere.

"You can't go into a shop in Stoke without [getting to know] the cashier's life story."

"Just the craic, the laugh – you can't find better people than you can in Stoke-on-Trent."

Laura, who returned after studying complementary therapies and beauty therapy, now works in the city and lives with her husband and daughter.

Harji Kaur, who teaches Bollywood and Bhangra dance classes, says she feels "blessed" that people come to her sessions and enjoy themselves.

"I am really grateful and thankful to the community," she says.

"I am from a different country, from a different language, but still they accept me the way I am."

Harji adds that she has psoriasis which has affected her bones, meaning that she is often in pain before a session starts.

"[But] when I come to this class, when I see people come to me and they trust me, I just forget my pain," she says.

Sue Smith moved to Stoke nine years ago with her husband Barry, after closing her eyes and pointing randomly to a place on a map of England.

"As soon as we got here, I loved it," she says.

Sue says her approach to life is to "try anything once" - she did a parachute jump when she was 18 and emigrated to Canada when she was 21.

She returned to the UK in her 50s and met Barry. He died last year and Sue says losing him has been "the most horrendous thing".

"We met in later life and we had lots of things planned," she says.

"I really wish I'd met Barry when I was younger, but I didn't, and I had 14 wonderful years with him so it was magic."

Moonii Jawadin was told he might die within a fortnight due to an aggressive type of leukaemia.

"It was just a shock - being told you've got two weeks to live," he said.

At one point during his illness, he was in an induced coma at Royal Stoke Hospital and his loved ones came to "say goodbye to me".

"My sister was my donor and she saved my life. She's my hero - she can ask for anything and I'll get it [for] her," he says.

"I wake up every day [now] knowing I can breathe, I can walk - these are all blessings that we take for granted," he says.

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