The Sentinel has printed 25,000 copies of a 44-page Proud of the Potteries magazine to prove the doubters wrong.

It will be distributed around the world to defend the city after a recent barrage of abuse, prompted by a survey that labelled the city as Britain's worst.

The magazine is being sent to 645 MPs, 612 MEPs, Whitehall departments, local authorities, managing directors and chief executives of the country's biggest companies, inward investment agencies, regeneration bodies and tourism authorities, among others, to allow them to make up their own minds about the city.

It contains articles that have already appeared in daily Sentinel and award-winning Sunday Sentinel newspapers, as well as specially commissioned features.

Sentinel Editor Sean Dooley said: "This flawed report first appeared in The Sunday Times and was read by businessmen, opinion formers and decision makers everywhere.

"The potential damage to Stoke-on-Trent's reputation and economy is immense and we've set about putting that right."

He said Proud of the Potteries was a celebration of everything that is good, exciting and vibrant about Stoke-on-Trent.

Stoke has been labelled "The worst place to live in England and Wales" and "...on a life support machine, awaiting the arrival of an economic faith healer."

The mickey-taking reached its peak when Jonathan Ross ridiculed Potteries-born presenter Nick Hancock about his roots before millions of viewers watching BBC 1's They Think It's All Over.

Sentinel readers have sent in an avalanche of letters in defence of their city.

The paper says Proud of the Potteries is not a "romanticised view" of life in Stoke-on-Trent.

While issues such as crime, education and infra-structure, need addressing, the Sentinel identifies those problems and ask those responsible what they're doing to put them right.

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