Following a national survey, which labelled Stoke-on-Trent the worst place to live in England and Wales, the Sentinel has launched the Proud of the Potteries campaign.

The survey, by global information group Experian, placed Stoke-on-Trent last out of 376 towns and cities across the country in terms of quality of life.

But the newspaper has branded the survey as "lies, damned lies and statistics".

It says that anyone who has spent time in the city will know it bears little resemblance to the grim picture painted by Experian, and has launched its campaign to help repair the damage caused by the survey.

For the next two weeks the paper will tell the story behind the statistics and explain why it thinks Stoke is a great city.

It will highlight the city's assets, such as the potteries, new entrepreneurs, world-renowned museum, and the friendliness of the people.

And at the end of the series the paper will collate and publish all the articles in a special prestige city guide.

The guide will then be sent to MPs, senior Whitehall civil servants, managing directors and chief executives of the country's biggest companies and overseas tourist authorities.

The paper said: "It's time we sold our worth to the outside world rather than wait in vain for the outside world to recognise it."

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