FAMILIES visiting The Rock Shopping Centre this Easter will be able enjoy FREE circus school skills workshops.
The shopping and leisure destination will unveil its bunny-themed circus installation on Saturday (5th April).
Located in the space in front of The Range, the three-sided Bunny Funhouse will be in place for the length of the Easter holidays for families to enjoy.
Side one will feature a ‘bunny head’ tunnel to crawl through, side two is an oversized hoop-la with cut out carrots, bunnies and Easter eggs and the final side is an egg swing – perfect for those Easter snaps.
The Rock hosted a Circus Fun House complete with workshops in the summer of 2023 which proved hugely popular with families. The original funhouse has been repurposed and redesigned for Easter 2025.
On three days during half term, children can take part in circus school workshops, led by bunny characters.
The classes are as follows:
Wednesday 9th April – Plate spinning
Wednesday 16th April – Diabolo
Saturday 19th April – Stilt walking
Circus School sessions start at 11am and run every 30 minutes. Each session will last approximately 20 minutes and the last session is at 2:30pm.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “The last time we hosted circus workshops, each session was packed out and visitors returned week after week to complete all the classes. We’re delighted to be bringing the circus back, complete with an Easter-twist and we’re sure it’ll be really popular with families looking for free, fun activities during the school holidays.”
A SPECIAL tree filled with messages celebrating mums from across Bury was unveiled at The Rock Shopping Centre ahead of Mother’s Day.
The shopping and leisure destination gathered dozens of ‘Messages to Mum’ from social media in recent weeks and displayed them at the centre.
The Mother’s Day Tree was in The Rock’s main square near The Range and Costa and aimed to be a live expression of thanks and gratitude.
On Saturday 29th March visitors to the centre were encouraged to add a message to the tree to celebrate their mum, mums they know or other special mum-like figures. Anyone adding a message on this day also received a small bunch of daffodils.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “We know there’s many tree-mendous mums in Bury and this installation is all about them.”
Look out for our Romantic Roller Skaters this Valentine’s weekend – they’ll be spreading the LOVE!
On Friday 14th and Saturday 15th February at intervals between 11am and 3pm our gameshow host will don the suit of love and hit the mall with our floral-themed roller skaters to show customers some love.
There’ll be plenty of chances to take part in our gameshow and if you answer a question correctly you’ll be rewarded with a token of love from The Rock and its retailers.
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.”
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.”
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.”
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