nickname Mr Esperanto). When 'The Green Star', a Smallthorne pub, was being built Barks requested that the brewery add the words 'la verda stelo' (the pub's name in Esperanto) onto the side of the building (the green star is a symbol of Esperanto). The brewer agreed. The Green Star can still be found on the corner of Esperanto Way, a stone's throw from Zamenhof Grove (named for the creator of Esperanto) though from some time in 2005 the sign saying 'la verda stelo' is no longer displayed. The office and administrative centre of 'Esperanto-Asocio de Britio' (Esperanto Association of Britain) is just outside Stoke-on-Trent in the Wedgwood Memorial College, Barlaston. Horace Barks helped set up the first courses there in 1960. Notable people Arthur Berry, playwright, poet, teacher and artist Mark Bright, professional footballer and BBC sports pundit Albert Leake, professional footballer Alan Martin, professional footballer References External links Salem Methodist Church Smallthorne Parish Church Smallthorne History http://www.smallthorne-history.org.uk/ Areas of Stoke-on-Trent Districts of England created by the Local Government Act 1894