The Block - Newcastle under Lyme

16/10/2025

Absolutely fabulous to hear from Holly and Eve founders of The Block - Newcastle under Lyme! Speaking about their new space in the Barracks in Newcastle under Lyme along with all things hat making and costume design.

10/10/2025

If you enjoyed artist Rob Fenton's chat yesterday, there's more local arts from Holly and Eve of The Block - Newcastle under Lyme next week.

We'll be at the Borough Arms in Newcastle on Thursday to hear from them as well as network with more artists, businesses, and organisations. Come along and find out what's happening right on our doorstep!

🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/connects-network-meeting-newcastle-under-lyme-october-2025-tickets-1719135654019

30/09/2025

Holly and Eve are super excited to be the guest speakers at next month's Connects Network session on October 16th! 🎩🎪

This is a free event to network with other creatives, producers, business owners and more from our local area.
We'll be talking about our individual practices, businesses and projects, collaborating together, working on arts commissions and building a creative community.

Come and chat with us, drink tea and share some of our favourite biscuits 👀🍪🫖

Grab a free ticket here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1719135654019?aff=oddtdtcreator

📍Borough Arms Hotel
26 King Street, Newcastle-under-lyme, ST5 1HX
🗓 16th October, 10:30am

Connects is a not-for-profit, relaxed and informal networking opportunity facilitated by a number of local business owners in the Staffordshire area who enjoy bringing people together and promoting the many positive aspects of the local community.

01/06/2025

Celebrating 100 Years of Stoke-on-Trent
Join us at the People’s Parade in Hanley on Saturday 7th June as we mark a century of Stoke-on-Trent.

Eve Travis and Holly Johnson – working together as The Block – are bringing a joyful, larger-than-life vision to this year’s People’s Parade.

Based at The Block studios in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Holly is a felt hat maker and Eve is a circus performer. Together, they lead creative workshops, produce eye-catching costumes, and connect communities through participatory arts.

Commissioned by Stoke Creates, they are designing and making 100 cupcake-inspired costumes for young dancers from Angela Beardmore School of Dance Expect hoop skirts, candle headdresses, and layers of swishy, celebratory fabric. The project also includes movement and making sessions with the students, co-creating and rehearsing in costume in the run-up to the parade.

The dancers will be led by a vibrant ‘100’ celebration banner – a sweet and spectacular tribute to Stoke-on-Trent’s centenary.

Website: www.evetravisart.com/
Facebook: The Block - Newcastle under Lyme

13/05/2025

We are so excited to be costume making for the Stoke-on-Trent Centenary People’s Parade! 🎉 Thanks to Stoke Creates for entrusting us to bake a whopping ONE HUNDRED fabulous cupcake costumes which will be embodied by young people from Angela Beardmore School of Dance on the day 💃🎂 See them in action on the 7th of June! 👀

Stoke-on-Trent City Council
Holly Johnson Eve Dearbhail Travis Hojo Hattery Eve Travis Art

14/04/2025

A new creative hub has opened in Newcastle-under-Lyme as artist collective The Block takes up residence at The Barracks.

09/04/2025

04/04/2025

🤩 We’re over the moon The Block - Newcastle under Lyme have come to town!

The Block is an innovative arts studio that advocates for community, inclusivity, and creativity. Four amazing artists all under one roof. We think ‘Castle is about to get a bunch more creative!

Meet ya new neighbours 👇🏻

Hojo Hattery is bringing hat-making home! Holly creates one-of-a-kind handmade hats. She once created a custom Mountie hat and block shaped like The Barracks building (It feels almost like fate!) With over 6 years of experience she’s excited to join ‘Castles hat-making heritage! 🎩✨Check her out 👉🏻www.hojohattery.com

Local circus performer, costume maker and artist Eve is bringing her extensive experience to the town! Being part of a circus family, Eve’s parents held circus workshops with their first ever taking place at The Barracks in 1994. She’ll also be holding workshops teaching circus skills, clowning, and more 🤹‍♀️🎪 Say Hi! Circus In A Box👋🏻

That’s not all, The Block is expanding and welcoming rug tufting artist Emily from and giant puppet maker Richard of to the creative space! 🧶🎭

📍Find them at unit 2/3 The Barracks.
Welcome, we can’t wait to see you around town!

15/12/2024

The Shining twins come to visit you except it's Christmas and you're at The Block 🎄🎄

We say this every season 😂 BUT Christmas is the busiest time for us!

Eve has been performing as Cindy Lou Who with the Grinch, has been dressed as various silly Christmas themed characters on stilts and performing some all round fun festive circus craziness! She's also been away on a UK tour with Kira Mac the last couple of weeks in between her Christmas bookings! 🤶🎄

She is also hosting AND performing at an incredible Christmas cabaret - The Naughty List at the Rigger THIS Friday. We'll post the flyer and more details tomorrow but go check out Eve Elle to see updates of some of the incredible talent that'll be on stage!

I (Holly) have been working long days in the studio but have finished and sent off all my Christmas custom hat orders in record time this year - saving myself from last minute mental break downs (although I still had a few) 😂🥳 and I've been out of the studio over the last couple of weeks working with local arts organisation B arts filming interviews, creating stop motion animations with a local school, getting green screen acting footage and more, for a local Heritage Trail app launching next year.

We'll share some photos of our recent projects when we're both back to semi-normality (normal for us 😂) in the studio next week! For now please enjoy two festive little goblins taking a 5 min break to jingle around in some stilt costumes Eve Dearbhail Travis was working on 🎀✨️

11/12/2024

Urban Wilderness' Winter Gathering is THIS Saturday in Longton Town Centre! 🐪❄️✨️

🎪 As circus in a box - we will be providing the fire for the big finale! Catch out our fire performers along with the incredible marching band Kilne from 4 til 5pm! 🔥

🎄 Our lovely pal Siobhan Grace over at UGLY will be running ugly wreath making workshops all day - we've been to lots of her workshops and would highly recommend for making something fun and colourful to jazz up your home! 👀

🏢 Our studio - The Block will be used as a quiet space for anyone who may feel overwhelmed or needs a space to get out of the hustle and bustle. It will be a cosy and calm environment, with bean bags, blankets, books to read and hot drinks to warm you up.

🐪🌟 There's also lots of live theatre, workshops, storytelling, music, an artisan market with and MORE - come and enjoy a free day out in our wonderful community at Longton Exchange Shopping Centre ✨️

Check out Urban Wilderness CIC for more info and to see all the exciting activities they have planned! 💖

10/10/2024

04/09/2024

We are super excited to returning to business as usual at The Block this week after a very full and fulfilling summer... Between us we have worked at 28 events, delivered 27 workshops, attended 8 festivals, performed in 10 cabarets, given 4 live demonstrations, completed an artist residency, been part of an exhibition and asked to join a panel for an artist's talk. Here's just a few snaps from our summer... 📸

Hojo Hattery / Circus In A Box