HUNDREDS of people gathered at The Rock Shopping Centre for a community concert which saw the Christmas lights switched on by four local heroes.
Gill Smith, the founder of Radcliffe Litter Pickers, David Yates, Headteacher at Tottington High School, and Jennifer Hindle and Jennifer Heywood of Topping Fold Community Centre, were chosen to turn on the Christmas lights following The Rock’s campaign to find local heroes for the job.
The concert took place on Saturday 9th November, running from 3pm-5pm. The shopping centre joined forces with Roch Valley Radio to pull together the special festive event which brought the people of Bury together.
The event featured groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop, Bury Music Service and performers who have been supported by Liv’s Trust. The Rock’s partner charity Secret Garden – Hoyles Park attended and ran a teddy tombola and glitter tattoo station which raised £392 for the cause.
The concert took place on a stage in St John’s Square, in front of The Range.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock said: “This year’s Christmas concert was all about shining a spotlight on the people of Bury. From our local heroes to our local talent, our switch on was a great day showcasing the very best of Bury. The event was a huge success and really does kick start of the Christmas trading period for The Rock. We are so grateful to everyone who was involved and helped make the day a success.”
The switch on event was free to attend and marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock. The shopping centre has already announced it will host a FREE Santa’s Grotto from 30th November and the Rock Express land train will return in December.
Kenji marks 10th anniversary with new store at The Rock
East-Asian-inspired lifestyle brand, KENJI, is set to mark its 10th anniversary with the grand opening of a brand-new permanent store at The Rock Shopping Centre this Christmas season with the creation of 10 new jobs.
Located on Central Street within The Rock, the store will open this November, with the official launch date to be confirmed. The new store design draws inspiration from the upcoming KENJILAND app, featuring a vibrant and immersive retail environment that will introduce a fresh concept to the shopping centre.
This opening coincides with KENJI’s decade in business, with the brand’s very first store launching in Bury in 2015. In celebration of this milestone, both stores in The Rock and Mill Gate will be open and trade through the Christmas period, offering shoppers even more opportunities to explore KENJI’s unique collections.
Known for its stylish and contemporary offerings, KENJI provides a wide range of designer homewares, kitchenwares, stationery, and fashion accessories.
Eddie Shepherd, Managing Director of KENJI said: “We’re delighted to be celebrating our 10th anniversary with the opening of a larger store with a broader product offer at The Rock in Bury. This new store’s creative inspiration is derived from our upcoming KENJILAND app, showcases our passion for innovation, and reaffirms our confidence in the centre as the premier shopping destination in Bury. As we look to the future, this store represents the next chapter in our journey, and we can’t wait to share it with the community during the festive season.”
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, added: “KENJI has a very exciting offer which we think will be hugely popular with our visitors. We look forward to the store opening ahead of the busy Christmas trading period and wish the team all the success. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate their 10th anniversary with the opening of a store at The Rock.”
FAMILIES from Bury and beyond will be able to visit a magical Santa’s Grotto at The Rock Shopping this festive season – for FREE!
The shopping and leisure destination’s Santa’s Grotto will open on Saturday 30th November and will then be open on various days on the run up to Christmas.
It’s the first time The Rock has hosted a grotto since the pandemic and they’re promising a high quality, classic grotto with outstanding staff.
Families will step into a cosy woodland theme wonderland for their visit to Santa. The focal piece of the grotto will be a magical archway of lights, garlands, baubles and branches to create a standout backdrop for the photo with Santa. Admission is free and includes a chocolate lolly.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “Here at The Rock we are firm believers that every child should be able see Santa and that’s why once again our grotto will be free to enter. This year’s grotto is a brand-new design, and we think our visitors will be absolutely blown away by it – it’ll be sure to get them in the Christmas spirit.”
The grotto will be located in St John’s Square, alongside the centre’s Christmas food fair. The famous Rock Express land train will also return this Christmas. Visitors can enjoy a festive journey in the town from Saturday 14th December.
Santa’s grotto will be fully accessible and will be manned by two elves. Quiet hour will run on Fridays from 11am-12pm. Santa will take a break daily at 1pm for 30 mins. There will be no admission to the grotto during this time.
The search is on for local heroes to switch on the Christmas lights at The Rock Shopping Centre this year.
The shopping and leisure destination is holding a Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On on Saturday 9th November 2024.
Running from 3pm-5pm the shopping centre has joined forces with Roch Valley Radio to pull together a special festive event which will bring the people of Bury together.
As part of the community-focused event, The Rock is launching their search for a local hero or heroes to help switch on the festive lights.
On the day, the countdown will take place just before 5pm and the local hero/es will flick the switch to light up The Rock ready for the Christmas shopping period.
Nominations can be made through The Rock’s website from Friday 4th October and the deadline for submissions is Friday 25th October.
The Rock’s centre director, Arnold Wilcox-Wood, said: “Last year’s Christmas lights switch on event was a huge success and we’re thrilled to be hosting it again. In 2023 our local hero was Les Edwards, Chairman of Seedfield Sports Junior Football Club, who was chosen following a nomination campaign where we received 95 submissions.
“We were overwhelmed with nominations in our search for a local hero – choosing just one person was tough.
“So, this year, we’ll be choosing multiple local heroes to help us light up Bury at our Community Christmas Concert and Lights Switch On.
“Whether they’re a volunteer, teacher, emergency services worker, or somebody who has done something outstanding in the community, you can nominate your local hero to switch on the Christmas Lights at The Rock.
“This event is all about the community and celebrating our rising stars, our charity partner Secret Garden – Hoyles Park and a local heroes. We’re thrilled to be hosting this ‘new look’ event for a second year and can’t wait to kick off the Christmas season.”
The event will take place on a stage in St John’s Square, in front of The Range and will feature groups from the Carol Godby Theatre Workshop, Bury Music Service and performers who have been supported by Liv’s Trust.
The switch on event is free to attend and marks the beginning of the Christmas season for The Rock.
A STEAK restaurant which promises ‘a unique eating experience’ will open at The Rock Shopping and Leisure Centre this autumn.
The Firepit will open in at The Rock next month, creating 25 jobs in the town.
The restaurant, which also has branches in neighbouring Rawtenstall and Blackburn will open in the former Frankie and Benny’s unit at the centre.
Founded in Rawtenstall in 2014, The Firepit’s signature dish is steak-on-a-stone cooked at the table on a 350-degree lava rock, which holds its temperature to ensure it is done exactly to the customer’s liking.
The menu also includes burgers, hanging kebabs, vegetarian options, fish, salads and more.
Peter Novak founder of The Firepit said: “Opening a restaurant in Bury town centre has been an ambition of ours for a number of years and we are so excited to now be making that a reality. The Firepit is a firm favourite amongst many diners in Rawtenstall and Blackburn where we already have two restaurants, and we are looking forward to bringing that same dining experience to the people of Bury.”
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, added: “We are thrilled to be welcoming The Firepit to our exciting tenant mix. We know the group’s other restaurants in the region are very popular and we are sure that The Firepit will be a huge hit with our visitors.”
Visitors to The Rock Shopping Centre were treated to a two-day fashion event to help inspire their autumn and winter wardrobes over the weekend.
The shopping and leisure destination held their ‘Fashion Through The Glass’ event where shop window mannequins were swapped for models showcasing the latest autumn looks.
Shows took place on Friday 20th September and Saturday 21st September and were held to inspire shoppers updating their wardrobes ready for cosy season.
Retailers including Next, M&S, River Island, Primark, Vanilla, FME and Superdry were involved in the style showcase.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, centre director of The Rock, said: “Once again our fashion showcases proved to be hugely popular with our customers. We are thrilled to have been able to put on this event for a second time this year and work with our retailers to promote their latest collections.”
Can you find your way around The Rock’s Marvellous Maze this summer?
A free maze will return to The Rock Shopping Centre this August, following its success in 2022.
The shopping and leisure destination has announced that its Marvellous Maze will be back for the summer holidays, with families encouraged to try and find their way around it.
The maze will be located in The Rock’s main event space – St John’s Square – and will be open daily from Thursday 1st August until Saturday 31st August.
Plus, on Wednesdays in August the maze will come to life with characters and children will be encouraged to help find ‘Sally Skittles’ for a chance to win various prizes from The Rock’s retailers.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing the Marvellous Maze back for the summer holidays, it was a roaring success in 2022 so we thought it made perfect sense to bring it back.
“We know families are always looking for fun and free activity and this certainly ticks those boxes. The activity on Wednesdays with Sally Skittles and her character friends proved so popular the last time we ran this activity so we’re sure it’ll be a big hit again; we can’t wait to welcome them back to delight our visitors this summer.”
The live activity on Wednesdays will run from 11am until 3pm and is completely free.
The beach and rides are also back at The Rock for the summer holidays.
Visitors to The Rock Shopping Centre had to look twice when they spotted live mannequins in store windows at the retail destination over the weekend.
The centre held a two-day ‘Fashion Through The Glass’ event where shop window mannequins were swapped for models showcasing the latest summer looks.
Shows took place on Friday 5th July and Saturday 6th July and were held to inspire shoppers updating their wardrobes ready for the holiday season.
Retailers including Next, M&S, River Island, Primark, Vanilla, FME, Superdry and Vision Express took part in the shows.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, centre director of The Rock, said: “We’re always thinking of new and engaging ways to support our retailers and inspire our shoppers. This event was a great way to showcase our retailers’ product lines and encourage our visitors to head into our stores.”
A community forest school and sensory garden has been chosen as The Rock Shopping Centre’s new charity of choice.
Secret Garden at Hoyles Park run sessions designed to bring the community together no matter ability income or background.
The charity received the highest number of votes in a recent public vote carried out by The Rock.
At its base in Hoyles Park, the charity has many different zones to allow people to express themselves, develop skills all whilst being surrounded by nature.
They also host inclusive SEN sessions which provide a safe, secure space for children with disabilities to roam freely and explore the environment whilst parents and careers socialise and watch their child flourish.
The Rock’s Centre Director, Arnold Wilcox-Wood said: “Over the past few weeks we held a public vote via our website. The Secret Garden is the cause which received the highest number of public votes.
“Our new partnership with the charity will begin from July 1st and we’re very much looking forward to working together to help them raise funds and awareness.
The charity is headed up by Jessica Fraser-Kelly. She said: “We are over the moon to have been selected at The Rock’s new charity. This partnership will allow us to spread the word about our organisation, which in turn will allow us to support more people in the community, bring more people outdoors to thrive in nature, and help us raise funds towards our community space.”
The Rock’s partnership with Liv’s Trust will conclude at the end of June.
Arnold added: “We have enjoyed working very closely with everyone at Liv’s Trust over the past year and their dedication to the charity and Olivia’s legacy is outstanding. We are delighted to have raised over £4,500 to date for this wonderful cause during this time and we’re grateful to all our customers and retailers who have helped us to raise such a significant amount. We wish the charity and all those who they support the very best of luck moving forward.”
GREEN fingered youngsters have had a blooming good time at The Rock Shopping Centre this half term.
The shopping and leisure destination unveiled its May half term installation – The Blooming Potting Shed – in time for the bank holiday weekend and kicked off with workshops around the theme ‘how does your garden grow’ on Saturday 25th May.
The wooden structure, which is in front of The Range, is covered in flowers and plant pots surrounded by a lawn with picnic benches for families to take a break from shopping whilst also creating the perfect backdrop for any social snaps.
On Saturday, the event space came to life, with a day of workshops where children could decorate a plant pot and then plant their own sunflower seed to take home. The classes were delivered by event duo Flora and Fauna.
Another day of workshops will run on Wednesday 29th May focusing on ‘why we need the buzzy bees’. They’ll run from 11am – 3pm. The workshops are completely free to attend and run on a first come, first served basis. Visit The Rock’s website to find out more.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “The Blooming Potting Shed has added a vibrant splash of colour to The Rock this half term and it is wonderful to see so many children and families enjoying these free workshops.”
The Blooming Potting Shed is in situ until Sunday 2nd June.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.