Halton’s leading shopping centre, Shopping City Runcorn, is diversifying its offering with the expansion of its community-focused initiatives. The shopping centre, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last month, is stepping up its provisions to support the needs of its shoppers.
Runcorn Citizens Advice Bureau recently opened in Shopping City, providing confidential advice and assistance relating to housing, legal, debt and consumer issues. Alongside this, the NHS will soon be occupying an 11,000sq ft unit in the centre, with the new Health Hub set to offer ophthalmology, audiology and dietetics outpatient services.
Health and wellbeing are dalso being prioritised through other centre initiatives, including an on-site boxing club, ABC Boxing, which supports 16- to 19-year-olds to gain fitness-based qualifications.
Earlier this year, Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, also relocated his constituency office to Shopping City, adding to the centre’s growing reputation as a community hub.
“The centre has grown into so much more than just a retail destination,” said Dave Pearman, centre manager at Shopping City. “Alongside our extensive retail and leisure offering, we’re also working hard to provide for our community in the areas that are much needed and matter most to them. Whether that’s health and wellbeing, consumer advice, or sports and fitness opportunities for our young people, we want our centre to be a hub for the community, a place where they can access the services they need.
“Having this strong community presence in the Centre allows us to set a forward-thinking precedent for how shopping centres should operate, putting in place the infrastructure to support our people and provide them with a valuable experience each time they walk through our doors.”
