"Where shall what, who?" I'd come across the above image on a Facebook page .... one of those you get recommended to take a look at.
I'm not from Stoke-on-Trent, not even from North Staffordshire, but having started working in the City I was slowly getting to know a bit about it. Travelling round the numerous communities that comprise the Potteries my interest in history drew me in to want to find out more about what is, to the outsider, a fascinating and unusual area.
There are still an awful lot of pots made in the Potteries; there are numerous great green spaces; the city is effectively a gateway to the Peak District National Park (do not refer to the latter as Derbyshire, there are grand parts of it in Cheshire and Staffordshire, not to mention Yorkshire). Riding to work - a regular activity when employed by Sustrans and Stoke-on-Trent City council to help schools promote active travel - I'd pass working potbanks, derelict potteries form a bygone age, the centrees of the Six Towns, the Wedgewood Insitute, and the sites of old collieries and steel works.
So, an interest in history and a growing curiouisty about the places I spent most of my days, conspired to bring me a recommendation to take a look at this image and the posts on Lidice Shall Live. Suddenly I became immersed in You Tube videos, images, web-pages telling an astonishing story of hardhip, tragedy, generosity, reconstuction and friendship; the worst of human nature combatted by the best of it. The glory of celebrity taken by people whom one might refer to as ordinary, if one did not know better.
This website will not tell the story of the bonds between the Czech village of Lidice and the English city of Stoke-on-Trent - though there'll be a bit of that - as it is about two chaps going on a bike ride. There's a bit of history start at the bottom of our Facebook page and work up and the outline will be revealed.
Cycling is another of my interest, so when circumstances contrived to give me the chance to go off on a long tour, there was only one place to go. Add into this an opportunity to spread the story of Stoke and Lidice (and, actually, many other places across the World), offer the chance for schools to get involved (details to follow shortly), and pause - briefly - in a few beer gardens whilst cycling across Germany .... well, thanks to my wife and son who are willing to let me off family life for a while.
So, here's to the Burslem-Lidice Bike Ride 2016 ...
Please note, I am not seeking sponsorship. If you'd like to make adonation to the Friends of Barnett Stross, whose activities I am really supporting, that would be great. Visit http://tfobs.org to donate.
From my perspective, the biggest thing we can do is to make sure that everyone knows the story of how people like them stood up to oppression. It is an uplifting story that everyone should be proud of.
More soon ...