The public are being invited to view a spectacular centenary mural in Hanley from today after an official unveiling ceremony on Saturday evening. 

The '100 Years 100 Faces' mural features 100 portraits to honour the people who have shaped the city's cultural identity. Among those featured are Robbie Williams, Burslem legend June Cartwright, boxer Nathan Heaney, influencer Luke Hamnett, sculptor Andy Edwards, Eddie Hall and many more. 

The 12 metre high artwork, which can be viewed from the Marsh Street car park, was commissioned by the Stoke-on-Trent City Centre BID and brought to life by artists Rob Fenton and Alastair Barnett who used high-tech methods to make the ambitious project become a reality.

Rob said: "The project has shown the interconnectivity of people in our city.

"It's incredibly rewarding as a local artist to be working on this project and it has been great to depict so many of this city's icons. I would imagine it not to be a quick visit when the public gets to see the mural - it's packed with hidden gems."

The mural not only commemorates 100 years since Stoke-on-Trent was given city status but also pays tribute to the resilience, creativity, and character of its people. By blending traditional hand-painting with modern tools and techniques, the duo have created an artwork that feels both contemporary and deeply rooted in the city's heritage.

Both artists spent two and a half hours working on each individual portrait with the project taking a total of 250 hours from start to finish.

Alastair said: "We have blended traditional methods with modern technology, which has been of real help for a project as ambitious as this one. 

"We have had around a 2.5 hour time limit per portrait, so by using VR headsets to do our stencils we have saved a lot of time. We blew up each me and used it as a projection to work from across the 12 metre tall building."

The mural unveiling event on Saturday evening. (Nub News)

Entrepreneur and ex-Waterworld boss, Mo Chaudry, is one of those featured on the wall and said he was "gobsmacked" when asked to be a part of the project. 

He said: "One of the things I've learnt over the years is that as Stokies we don't always believe in ourselves - we always think of us as second best to Manchester and Birmingham. 

"I'll be shouting from the rooftops that we should believe in ourselves. We've got some unique aspects here, some great businesses here and great talent and we should take pride in what we are, what we have done. 

"Artists, sportspeople and others have done some amazing things so us as a city should stand up and believe in ourselves. 

"As older people, we should demonstrate that pride to get our young people to do the same. It's only then that we will have a positive movement that we can bring back into the city - jobs, creative industries and entrepreneurial flair."

Boxer Nathan Heaney is also featured on the mural and said it was a "real real honour". 

He said: "The mural looks amazing I didn't know the scale of it. I thought it might be a little plaque and I would just be on there but when I saw the making of the wall film posted by the BID online I was amazed to see how big it was.

"I never see myself as anything, so for people to think of me as an inspirational person among the other great athletes in this city is really good."

The mural was lit-up as darkness fell. (Nub News)

Also featured is Dawnie Reynolds, who runs the youth charity Ruff & Ruby, part of the Stoke-on-Trent Youth Collective, which works to elevate the lives of young people in the city. 

She said: "There are so many amazing people in this city who have contributed to it year on year. I was blown away and humbled to be featured. In my head I'm just little Dawnie, working- class girl wanting to make a difference and see people thrive. 

"So to get that honour of being on the wall among the other giants of the city is quite something. 

"This city has got such a wealth of people who have prevailed and destined for change in this place and done absolutely amazing things." 

All 100 faces featured on the mural: 

Commander Nathan Gray, Reginald Mitchell CBE, Rita Baines MBE, George Bennions, Andy Edwards, Arnold Machin, Phil Hardaker, Arnold Bennett, Lemmy, John Baskeyfield, Gertie Gitana, Kirsty Bertarelli, Havergal Brian, Jackie Trent, Chris Burton, Mike Lloyd, Slash, Robbie Williams, Bruno Brookes, Sam Plank, Eric Newton, Don Shelley, Jazmin Sawyers, Nathan Heaney, Tut Whalley, Kendo Nagasaki, Eddie Hall, Sir David Lee Pearson, Imran Sherwani, Angela Smith, Neil 'Nello' Baldwin, Luigi 'Lou' Macari, Keith Brymer Jones, Emma Bailey, Jessie Tait, Lorna Bailey, Susie Cooper, Emma Bridgewater, Clarice Cliff, William Moorcroft, Roger Bairstow, Maureen Flowers

Phil the Power' Taylor, Eric Bristow, Carol Shanahan, John Rudge, Daniel Flynn, Fred Hughes, Ray Johnson, June Cartwright, Angela Glendenning, Jane Sawyers, Levison Wood, Joe Monks-Neil, Eustace Lycett Luke Hamnett, Anthea Turner, Jonathan Wilkes, Freddie Jones, Neil Morrisey, Deborah McAndrew, Nicholas Hancock, Rachel Shenton, Nick Degg, Martin Tideswell, Peter Cheeseman, Arthur Berry, John Wain, Sir Brian Fender, Terry Wooliscroft, ClIr Doug Brown, Lillian Dodd, Lyn Sharpe Majid Khan, Tristram Hunt, Mike Wolfe, Jack Ashley, Florence Jessie MacWilliams, Liz Barnes, Bob Taylor, Danni, Wyatt-Hodge, Brian Barber, Dawnie Reynolds, Sydney Morris, Lloyd Cooke, John Caudwell

Mo Chaudry, Denise Coates, Peter Coates, lan Dudson, Gareth Higgins, John James Wright, Terry Holdcroft, Ralph Goodwin, Sir Barnett Stross, William Thomas Astbury, Dorothy Griffiths, Millicent Duchess of Sutherland, John Grocott, Stanley Matthews, Gordon Banks.