As Salford prepares to mark its 100th birthday next year, a man with unique insight into centenaries shared the best way to commemorate the milestone.
Amid the pomp and pageantry of a ceremonial baton handover at Swinton Civic Centre, where councillors hosted a delegation from centennial Stoke-on-Trent, he shared lessons learned from a year of city-wide celebration.
To some, Kevin Smallman is a 64-year-old who spent years in the pottery industry, became a carer, retired and then volunteered at a local Stoke hospice.
The masses may be more familiar with his alias, Kelvin the Kiln – Stoke-on-Trent’s centenary mascot, shaped to resemble a bottle kiln, the tall, brick-built structure synonymous with the area’s ceramic legacy.
As Kevin, whose identity had been kept under wraps throughout his tour of Stoke’s schools, workplaces and hospitals, tucked into a piece of carrot cake inside the Salford Mayor’s office, he was asked what makes a good centenary celebration.
“You’ve got to put the children at the centre of the centenary, the year should help people learn about your city’s 100-year history so they can carry that information, knowledge and traditions on,” he responded.
Since 11 April, Kevin has clambered into the smiling, life-sized costume more than 100 times to delight schools, packed concert halls and thousands of football fans attending games at Port Vale FC.
“I have two favourite events. One was Victoria Hall in Hanley, when I went on stage to 800 children screaming Kelvin’s name. And the first school I did, which was Park Hall School in Western Coyney, and that was the first school I’d done.
“To walk into the assembly and see 800 kids going crazy because Kelvin had come to visit them was brilliant.
“I was at an event where one of the adults asked, ‘What’s that?’ and their child goes, ‘It’s Kelvin, the bottle kiln!’
“The child then explained to their parent, ‘It’s a place where they used to cook all the pottery in the olden days’, so it was great to see that they had learned – and that’s what the centenary is about.”
Kevin explained he had initially been roped into becoming the mascot by the previous Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, Lyn Sharpe, but has “loved every minute” dressed as a cheerful ceramics oven.
“My wife and I volunteer for the Douglas Macmillan hospice in Stoke because a friend of ours died of cancer. The former Lord Mayor knew me through that and was aware I liked volunteering, so she asked if I’d wear the costume for 20 minutes at the Fenton Mace Blessing.
“After that, I was asked to fill in the following week and in the blink of an eye, I’ve now done 100 events. “This is the best thing I have done. When I said yes to putting on the Kelvin costume, that was the best decision I’ve made.”
Kevin explained that the Centenary year has given him a renewed sense of pride about the city he’s from.
“It has brought people together in a really positive way. We have been to celebrations at community hubs, parties in the park and ceremonial gatherings.
“The centenary has brought happiness to loads of children and adults across the city and I have come to realise that there are a lot of fantastic people living in Stoke-on-Trent.”
When asked what Salford can learn from Stoke to make the most of the centenary, he smiled. “I’d advise you to get a mascot; it involves the children more and makes everyone happy.”
