The Rock Shopping Centre is proud to announce Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary as its new charity partner for the coming year, following a public vote that saw strong support from the local community.
Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary provides care, shelter, and second chances for hundreds of animals, from dogs and cats to farm animals and wildlife. The charity’s tireless work has made it a beloved fixture in the area offering education, rehoming, and sanctuary services for over 60 years.
Over 1,000 votes were cast through The Rock’s website, with Bleakholt receiving the most public support.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary as our new charity of choice. The support they received in the vote shows just how much they mean to the community. We look forward to working closely with the team to raise awareness, funds, and help even more animals in need.”
Karen Weed, Sanctuary Manager at Bleakholt, added: “We are absolutely thrilled to be chosen as The Rock’s charity partner. This opportunity will help us reach new audiences, generate vital funding, and share more of the amazing work happening every day at the sanctuary. Most importantly, it will help us continue to care for the animals who need us most.
“Our big fundraiser in 2025 is Project Purrfect – extending and renovating our cattery. There is a cat crisis in the North West and ‘Project Purrfect’ will allow us to help more abandoned, neglected and sick cats in the area. This is why is means such a lot to be The Rock’s 2025 Charity of Choice. Thank you to everyone who voted for us.”
The partnership officially begins on 1st July 2025, kicking off a calendar of awareness events, fundraising activities, and joint campaigns designed to celebrate the work of Bleakholt and connect The Rock’s visitors with this important cause.
The Rock also marks the conclusion of its partnership with Secret Garden at Hoyles Park, whose year as the centre’s chosen charity saw significant awareness raised and funds generated for local outdoor education and sensory experiences.
Arnold added: “We’ve been incredibly proud to support Secret Garden this past year. We wish them continued success going forward.”
VISITORS to The Rock could be in with a chance of winning a huge spending spree this summer.
As part of its 15th birthday celebrations The Rock Shopping Centre has launched a competition to win a £1,500 shopping spree.
The centre, which officially opened on 16th July 2010, has unveiled an impressive photo prop structure in the shape of a 15. Shoppers who visit the centre and share a photo with the installation will be entered into a draw to win the prize pot.
The competition was launched on Saturday with a special event at The Rock featuring butterfly stilt walkers and roaming dragon performers.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “This is one of the biggest giveaways we’ve done for a long time and we can’t wait to see all the photo entries. We’re really proud of the part we play in Bury’s story and we’ve got many things planned this summer – this is just the start of the birthday fun. Good luck to everyone entering the competition.”
Entries can be shared on social media using #15YearsOfTheRock or emailed to [email protected]
The competition runs until 11th July and the winner will be notified close to the official 15 year anniversary of the centre opening.
The winner will be invited to The Rock to claim their spending spree with the centre’s retailers.
The Rock has also been dressed with an array of colourful bunting, posters, banners and flowers to kick start the birthday season.
A SCHOOL uniform shop has officially opened its doors at The Rock Shopping Centre.
Smart Start Schoolwear, part of the Debonair Schoolweargroup, is the latest tenant to join the centre.
The retailer, which has school uniform stores across the North West, including in Wythenshawe and Oldham has opened in a unit in St John’s Gardens at The Rock, opposite M&S.
Sarah of Smart start schoolwear said: “We’re really excited to have opened in Bury and are thrilled to be a part of The Rock. Our new store offers quality and value from the get-go. We meet the needs of parents and schools alike and are dedicated to maintaining high standards.
“Our shop is well-lit, clean, child-friendly and offers a modern shopping environment with plenty of changing rooms and knowledgeable staff to offer a refreshing experience. We look forward to meeting our new customers very soon.”
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director at The Rock, added: “We are thrilled to welcome Smart Start Schoolwear to The Rock and wish the team every success.”
Budding creatives are being encouraged to enter a design competition to help celebrate a Bury shopping destination’s milestone birthday.
This summer The Rock Shopping Centre is 15 and has launched a ‘Design a Birthday Card’ competition to mark the special occasion.
The competition runs from now until 31st May and 10 winning entries will go on display in The Rock’s Wall of Birthday Wishes installation in St John’s Square at The Rock from 7th July – 25th July
Each winning designer will be awarded with a £30 gift voucher to spend at The Rock and invited to see their design on display at The Rock’s birthday event.
Arnold Wilcox-Wood, Centre Director of The Rock, said: “This year is a milestone for The Rock and we wanted to include the community at the heart of our celebrations. The Wall of Birthday Wishes aims to celebrate creatives in Bury and we can’t wait to see the submissions. I’m sure we’ll have a tough job selecting the final 10 winners and we encourage everyone to get involved.”
Entry forms can be downloaded from The Rock’s website or collected from retailers including The Entertainer, Bob and Berts, Smiggle and Starbucks.
Submissions can be emailed to [email protected] or posted in The Rock’s competition post box which will be in St John’s Square (near The Range) every day until the competition closes on 31st May 2025.
The competition is open to all.
For more information and to download an entry form visit: www.therockbury.com
At The Rock, we’re proud to lead the way in environmental responsibility and community engagement. Through innovative partnerships and forward-thinking initiatives, we’re creating a more sustainable future for our tenants, visitors, and the wider Bury community.
Waste Management & Recycling
We’ve rolled out the new Simpler Recycling legislation, introducing five distinct waste streams and upgrading bin infrastructure across our service yards and public mall areas. Delivered in partnership with SWR Newstar, this initiative has made recycling easier and more effective for everyone at The Rock.
Energy Efficiency
To help lower our carbon footprint, we’ve transitioned to energy-efficient LED lighting with motion sensors across back-of-house spaces and our car park. This upgrade reduces emissions and supports our broader sustainability goals.
Biodiversity & Green Spaces
Nature matters to us. We’re nurturing local biodiversity with bird boxes, wildflower planting, and exciting plans for bee hives and a bug hotel—right here at The Rock. Our family-friendly events like The Blooming Potting Shed introduce children to pollinators and the joy of planting sunflowers.
Community & Social Impact
Sustainability isn’t just environmental—it’s social too. We work closely with local schools and community groups, hosting free events that champion inclusivity and environmental awareness. We proudly sponsor children’s activities such as youth football and theatre visits, and we support local charities—soon to include Bleakholt Animal Sanctuary.
Tenant & Visitor Engagement
We keep our tenants informed through a dedicated green newsletter, and we promote low-emission travel with onsite EV charging points. Our retailers are sustainability champions too: M&S, Primark, Lush and more offer in-store recycling and eco-friendly shopping incentives.
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.
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