News & Press Releases
Christmas Cheer for Winners!
The Comet 10 Dec 2009
Lynn Larkin collected a luxurious Christmas hamper, kindly
donated by Marks & Spencer, as second prize and Brenda Morris of
St Albans picked up a family ticket to see the Stevenage
pantomime Aladdin.
Stevenage town centre manager, Tracey Parry, said “All of these
prizes were donated in support of the Stevenage town centre
Christmas campaign and featured as a competition in the Comet
and the Christmas magazine”.
On the night of Stevenage’s Christmas lights switch-on event,
shoppers were full of festive generosity and over 200 people
took part in a competition to support the Stevenage town
centre’s chosen charity, Macmillan. Three lucky winners picked
up some tasty Christmas treats and over £400 was raised
throughout the evening for Macmillan Cancer Support.
Christmas in Stevenage is now in full swing, with carol singing
performances by local schools and the Hertfordshire Youth Choir,
funfair rides and a synthetic ice rink between 19-24 December.
Vicky to Light Up Stevenage!
The Comet 19 Nov 2009
Christmas is a magical time for children, especially if Christmas Day is also your Birthday! And not only does 8 year-old Vicky Tiffin of Stevenage celebrate her ninth birthday on Christmas Day but she is also the lucky winner of our competition to turn on Stevenage’s Christmas lights this year!
Vicky will join John Altman (Nasty Nick from Eastenders), The
Mayor of Stevenage, Cllr Sue Myson, Sharon Taylor, Leader of the
Council, and Heart Breakfast presenters Gaz and Babs this
Thursday, 26 November, to turn on the lights at 6.30pm and watch
a spectacular firework display through a flurry of snow!
The fun starts on stage in the town square at 4pm and will be
non-stop right through to 6.30pm. Live music, games and the cast
of Aladdin performing guarantees a great night out for the whole
family! Santa’s Sleigh will travel through the town centre with
free sweets and there’s a whole host of prizes and balloons up
for grabs too! Face painting is on offer in Wilkinson and The
Entertainer Toy Shop from 4-8pm and if you visit the Comet
marquee outside the Baker’s Oven, you could be in with a chance
of winning a fabulous hamper full of Christmas goodies, some
luxury Christmas fudge and £50 worth of Body Shop products too!
The shops and St Georges Indoor Market are open until 8pm and
car parking is FREE from 5pm, giving shoppers a little more
money in their pockets for Christmas presents.
The Stevenage Christmas Lights Switch-on, this Thursday. Don’t
miss it! For more information, visit the
Events page or call 01438 74084.
Stevenage's Parking Gift for Christmas Shoppers!
The Comet 5 Nov 2009
STEVENAGE Borough Council is spreading a little Christmas
cheer this year by offering shoppers FREE car parking from 5pm
during Thursday late night shopping evenings in the town centre.
The Stevenage Christmas Lights Switch-On takes place on
Thursday, November 26 and traditionally marks the start of
Thursday late night shopping in the town centre, with most
stores and the Westgate Centre open until 8pm.
"Free car parking is usually offered on the night of the
switch-on," said town centre manager Tracey Parry, "so we
thought we would approach the council to see if they would
extend this offer for the remaining Thursday late nights on 3rd,
10th and 17th December."
The council was happy to oblige in a bid to lift the spirits of
Stevenage people and help town centre businesses at the end of
what has been a difficult and challenging year.
Sharon Taylor, leader of the council, said: "The council is
pleased to support this move as it makes it easier for families
to come along to Stevenage and do their Christmas shopping. This
initiative will benefit both retailers and shoppers and will
help to create a real festive feeling in Stevenage in the run up
to Christmas."
Plentiful parking and good public transport makes Stevenage town
centre easily accessible and with a wide range of high street
names, plus the opening of family favourite Wilkinson on
November 25, Stevenage town centre is an ideal choice for
Christmas gifts this year.
The Comet's Buy Local campaign is a great incentive to support
your local shopping centre, with discount vouchers and special
offers available in many stores.
Stevenage's Stirring Success!
26 September 2009
Stevenage town centre’s coffee morning last Friday in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support was a resounding success. The glorious sunshine brought the people of Stevenage out in their hundreds to enjoy a Fairtrade cup of coffee and some delicious cakes.
Costa Coffee and Nosh kindly donated flasks of coffee, teabags,
cups and cakes, which were then sold to members of the public in
town square by the Stevenage Town Centre Management team, staff
and volunteers from Macmillan Cancer Support.
“It was a great day”, said Town Centre Manager Tracey Parry, “I
lost count of the number of times we ran back and forth to
refill the coffee flasks”. The fabulous weather meant that
people were able to sit in the sunshine and enjoy a drink and
some home-made cakes”.
A staggering £716 was raised for Macmillan Cancer Support. “A
number of people who we spoke to had been affected in some way
by cancer, and were very keen to show their support for this
worthy cause” said Tracey. “We are absolutely delighted with how
much money the coffee morning generated and would like to thank
everyone who supported it, especially Nosh and Costa Coffee”.
Macmillan Fundraiser Linsey Taylor said “We would like to thank
everyone who attended the coffee morning. It was a huge success
and enjoyed by all. Every penny raised will fund more of our
vital services and help to develop new ways to change lives. And
for that, we think you should feel good!’
The Stevenage Town Centre Management Company will be raising
money for Macmillan Cancer Support again in October during their
Halloween event on Wednesday 28 October.
Winners Make a Splash!
20 August 2009
The Met Office may not have got the weather forecast quite
right for August but the lucky winners of the Stevenage Town
Centre free prize draw still had plenty to smile about!
Congratulations to Charlotte Reynolds-Furr from Welwyn Garden
City, who scooped the first prize in the Splash Out in Stevenage
draw featured in the Comet recently. Charlotte was the first
name drawn from hundreds of entries and received £100 gift
vouchers to be spent in Primark.
Helen Pardoe from Stevenage won a Panasonic digital camera;
Barbara Hewitt, also from Stevenage, picked up a pair of
designer sunglasses and Mrs Deboo won the latest Peter James
novel, just in time for her holiday!
“Incentives like this are a good way of encouraging people to
shop locally”, said Tracey Parry, Stevenage Town Centre Manager.
“By offering shoppers something more, we are striving to ensure
that Stevenage town centre remains a vibrant and viable shopping
destination”.
The Stevenage Town Centre Management team will be teaming up
with Macmillan Cancer Support next for the World’s Biggest
Coffee Morning. It will take place in the town square on Friday
26 September between 10am and 2pm. Join us for a cuppa to
support this worthy cause.
Town Goes West!
9 July 2009
It was blazin’ saddles in Stevenage on Saturday as the sun
beat down upon the Wild West Bonanza! Cowboys strolled into town
in Stetsons and spurs to try their luck in panning for gold and
test their lassoing skills in the Desert Duel!
Stevenage town centre’s third annual summer fun day was a rootin’
tootin’ success as hundreds of families enjoyed the glorious
sunshine and some fabulous entertainment! Heart Radio’s
breakfast DJ Gaz and Adam introduced live music and some great
games throughout the afternoon on the roadshow stage, and
gun-toting cowboys faced a saloon bar shoot-out as well as the
challenge of staying in the saddle on the Buckin’ Bronco.
Stevenage Town Centre Manager, Tracey Parry, said “My assistant
Becky and I have spent 3 months working with the team at Astrium
to bring this event to the town centre and we are delighted with
the success of the day”.
As well as providing an afternoon of free entertainment for the
community, the event raised nearly £800 for Macmillan Cancer
Support.
Stevenage girls, Daniella Rich, Alicia Fieldsend and Larreisha
Zealand each picked up a prize for their design of a WANTED
poster and April and Tyler Butchart won prizes for the best
fancy dress.
Charity Strikes Gold!
Thursday 16 July 2009
Stevenage town centre’s Wild West Bonanza on Saturday 4 July
was a resounding success, attracting hundreds of visitors who
enjoyed the many activities on offer throughout the day. Panning
for gold proved very popular, with a number of children and
shoppers trying to strike it rich and pick up a prize! Macmillan
Cancer Support also struck gold thanks to the generosity of
people who came to enjoy the day. Donations for face painting,
the shooting gallery and the Buckin’ Bronco, as well as the
charity tombola, raised a fantastic £771 for the Comet’s charity
of the year!
“We were delighted with the money we raised”, said Tracey Parry,
Stevenage Town Centre Manager. “Events such as this are funded
by the Stevenage Town Centre Management Company and it is only
in the last couple of years that we have asked for donations for
the activities we put on so it’s fantastic that we are able to
raise so much money for this worthy cause”.
Stevenage town centre’s next event will be the Macmillan Cancer
Support World’s Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 25 September,
which will offer shoppers coffee and tea between 10am and 2pm,
in the town square.
Stevenage Town Centre Gardens
The town centre gardens are set to be transformed, thanks in part to a cash boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund. Through the Parks for People initiative, £1.7m of funding has been granted to the project. New play equipment will be enhanced with additional planting, and better lighting and pathways will improve public safety.
While the project is underway, the Friends of the Town Centre Gardens group will be working closely with the Council and its partners to run events and activities in the gardens and to take part in hands-on activity days as the gardens are developed. If you would like to be involved with this project, please contact the Stevenage town centre manager, Tracey Parry, on 01438 740884 or email tcm@stevenage-town-centre.co.uk
Stevenage Shopper Cashes In
Thursday 9 April 2009
The winning entry in the annual Stevenage town centre Shopper
Survey was recently drawn and Mrs Debra Walker, who lives in
Stevenage, scooped the first prize of £200 shopping vouchers to
be spent in Boots and shops in the Westgate Shopping Centre.
Mrs Walker was presented with the vouchers by Tracey Parry,
Stevenage Town Centre Manager. Mrs Jennifer Moorcroft won second
prize, collecting £100 Body Shop vouchers and Miss Jemma Green
won third prize and picked up a £50 Waterstone’s gift card.
This year’s survey has generated an enthusiastic response from
members of the public, with over 400 taking the time and trouble
to complete and return the questionnaire. The responses are
currently being analysed and a report will be compiled that will
assist the Stevenage Town Centre Management Company in assessing
its aims and priorities over the coming months.
Stevenage Town Centre Manager, Tracey Parry, said, “We know that
all town centres are experiencing difficult trading conditions
but Stevenage offers a good mix of High Street and value brands,
as well as a wide range of activities and incentives to delight
the customer, which we hope makes a difference to shoppers.”
The results will be published in the next few weeks; in the
meantime, the Stevenage Town Centre Management Company will
continue to focus on working in close partnership with the local
authority, its partners and retailers to ensure Stevenage
remains a vibrant town centre.
