Light fantastic at The Trafford Centre!

SPARKLE: At Barton Square.

Well, I think The Trafford Centre has really excelled itself this year with the brand new Christmas lights. What do you think?

They really are the most stunning I’ve ever seen here!

After a fantastic switch on event with X Factor favourite Ollie Murs, everyone around the Centre has been getting used to the new festive outfit adorning every inch of the place.

With lots of time and effort put into this new lights scheme, the designers have done something very new, with the UK’s first-ever animatronic displays creating a dance of light and movement at every turn.

Baubles: Dangling on the Malls.

Huge Christmas baubles hang from the atrium of each mall, gently opening and closing to reveal bright, spinning Christmas trees at their centre.

Wreaths of lights decorate the Orient, with gorgeous Christmas trees twinkling away merrily. Every palm tree and every lamp-post it seems is drenched with thousands of bulbs – which are now greener LED bulbs which use far less energy than the old-fashioned bulbs the Centre used to display.

The old favourite talking Christmas tree is back on Lower Peel Avenue, and last year’s highlight the Ferrero Rocher installation in the Main Dome is back – and looking as amazing as ever.

You really can lose yourself staring upwards at that gravity-defying sculpture.

Over at Barton Square we have the multi-coloured conical Christmas trees which are my favourite, I would dearly love one in my own garden. Then the magical Ice Palace grotto takes pride of place in the Square, alongside the classic Victorian Carousel and festive stalls. It’s Christmas wherever you look!

SLEIGH: In the Orient sky-ceiling.

I’ve gathered some fun facts about the new lights to delight and amaze you – but there is no comparison for coming down and taking a look yourself. Why not bring your camera, and take some fab photos for friends and family elsewhere in the world, to show them how we do it in style at The Trafford Centre? Remember to look up while you’re in the Orient, to spy Santa and his sleigh streaking through the sky!

Let me know what you think of our Christmas lights – any favourites?

Light Fantastic Facts!

WOW – 30,000 Christmas baubles from Finland have been hung around the Centre

GEMS – More than 6,500 sparkling jewels will be glittering into the New Year

CRYSTAL – 5,000 crystal droplets have been polished for the display

HOLLY – 58,000 holly leaves have been used

LIGHT – 280,000 LED light bulbs will shine, using a third of the electricity of the old tungsten bulbs

HUGE – In all, the Centre has strung up more than 10,000m of lights

GOLD – 300m of gold-plated poles hold the decorations in place

ICE – 3000 icicles sprout from balconies and stairways

GIANT – 1,000m of Christmas garland will be used

CRAFTED – The enormous 10 metre Christmas tree has 1,100 branches, individually applied!

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Ice Palace Grotto greets first guests

MAGICAL: The stunning Ice Palace in Barton Square.

THE elves have been hard at work in Barton Square building the largest, most splendid grotto The Trafford Centre has ever seen!

Sponsored this year by Christmas hit movie Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the brand new Ice Palace Grotto and 4D Cinema opened at the weekend to a flurry of eager families, keen to get inside and meet Father Christmas himself.

ICE: The Snow Queen welcomes guests.

This year, just like the characters from Narnia, our visitors walk through a magical wardrobe door into a surreal world – quite unlike the outside. A fabulous 4D cinema experience awaits, as the hilarious Rocket the Reindeer movie is shown, complete with wind and bubble effects!

After that, children are guided to Father Christmas in his grotto, where they can pose for photos and chat with the man behind the myth, and also receive a lovely present to help them remember their day.

As you can see from these photos, Father Christmas has spared no expense this year in creating his festive outpost at Barton Square. Magical characters and twinkling light displays really transport you into the world of Christmas, and get everyone at the grotto in the mood for this wonderful time of year.

BEAST: Magical characters abound!

[With our traditional Victorian carousel just next door, and a host of festive stalls selling such faves as mulled wine and bratwurst, the entire square has transformed into a winter wonderland, cascading with lights and the sounds of the Singing Bears dressed in all their festive finery.

I am taking regular walks to the Square to soak up the lovely atmosphere. The only question to ask is: how many bratwursts can one person eat in a day?

* For grotto prices, and to book online to avoid a queue, just click here.

* HAVE you entered the magical Ice Palace Grotto and 4D Cinema? What did you think?

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Cupcakes hit the catwalk

I was enjoying my daily envy-walk around the hallowed halls of Selfridges today when I was stopped in my tracks by the most eye-popping display of cupcakes I have ever seen.

Cupcakes, you say?

Not just any cupcakes.

SEXY: Which one's for you?

These rainbow delights are the tasty work of Sale bakery Jellytots and Dollymixtures, who have arrived at Selfridges on a mission to make cupcakes the most fashionable treat of our times.

Almost designed to appeal to the fashionistas, each cake has a unique style, a hand-made appeal, and just enough calories to count as fun – but not enough to ruin the line of this season’s LRD that you love so much!

COLOUR: To match any outfit.

Louise Jones, from the bakery, told me: “Our cakes and our branding slots perfectly into Selfridges. They look sophisticated and stylish, but maintain the fun aspect of cupcakes whilst having a home baked fresh taste with absolutely no artificial ingredients or preservatives’.

Giant cupcakes

Louise and her talented team have branched out from the traditional vanilla sponge cake, into flavours of the month, and weekend specials. They can even create a jaw-dropping giant cupcake, to create that stunning birthday party centre-piece, or a treat for a loved one they will never forget.

All their cupcakes are hand-created, fresh every morning – and as you can see from the images they sent me, there is a fair amount of artistry and fun going into these cakes, as well as vanilla pods and sugar strands.

The big question: do they taste as good as they look?

FRUITY: One of your five-a-day?

Well, I buckled immediately and bought myself a cake at only £1:80 a pop – and I have to say, it was delicious; moist, fresh as a daisy, and almost too good-looking to eat.

You could muster an army of these little beauties, piled up into a wedding display. Or scatter them on cushions and light them flatteringly with fairy lights. Or you could box them individually into bijou little gifts for your office pals.

Or you could do what I did. Which is demolish one in double-quick time.

* Selfridges have a special opening offer on for Jellytots, buy any cake and get mini-cupcakes thrown in for free! Cupcakes start at £1:80 for one, 6 for £10 or 12 for £20.

HAVE you tried a cupcake from Jellytots and Dollymixtures yet? What did you think?

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Fish spa makes waves at The Trafford Centre

MIRACLE: The industrious little Doctor fish.

AN amazing new concept in skincare opens at The Trafford Centre this weekend, as we welcome thousands of little fish to the Malls!

The new Appy Feet store on Upper Regent Crescent is sure to cause waves in the beauty world, as shoppers plunge their feet into water tanks to have their feet massaged, and the dead skin nibbled away by clever little Doctor Fish.

As we wear our shoes and boots more often and for longer periods of time, our skin can become calloused and rough. This highly alternative treatment sees the little fish solve that problem naturally and organically – what could be better?

This new store really has to be seen to be believed – already people are gathering at the store windows to see the tanks being installed – and we fully expect fish-watching to become a spectator sport at the Centre!

If you’ve been travelling recently, you might have already seen this kind of treatment, as it’s increasingly popular in places like Japan, China and Turkey. The process is entirely safe, as the fish are only interested in dead skin – so they leave good skin alone.

At the end of the rather ticklish treatment, you can expect smooth feet or hands, and what experts claim is a pressure point massage – which is actually very relaxing!

Everything is kept safe and sanitary with the help of UV treated water, so the only things gaining access to your tootsies are the nibbling fish.

Price wise, the treatment is not expensive. It costs £10 for a 15 minute foot spa, and £20 for 35 minutes. Hands are cheaper at £5 for 5 minutes and £10 for 15 minutes.

Gift Vouchers are available in units of £10 or £20 – if you know anyone who suffers from Psoriasis why not think about getting them a voucher? The Appy Feet treatment is known to help that condition.

You can read more about this new store in my latest press release…

HAVE you tried Appy Feet yet? Tell me what you think!

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Fashion shines for Trafford Centre summer

SUMMER LOVING: Fashion from The Trafford Centre.

We’ve been poring over the latest images from our superb Spring Summer Fashion Shows last weekend – and with the sun peeking through the clouds today it has really got us in the mood for summer!

Lots of shoppers enjoyed the lively shows in the Orient, as we displayed pieces from retailers like Calvin Klein, Zara, Bench and Karen Millen.

You can take a look at the online galleries here, and see what summer trends you’ll be buying into.

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Main dome shines for Marie Curie

MELLOW YELLOW: Our support shines out.

For St David’s Day this evening, we turned our glorious main dome bright yellow in support of the very special Marie Curie Cancer Care campaign.

Marie Curie Cancer Care is a national charity that looks after terminally ill cancer patients, either in their own home or at dedicated hospices.

And during the month of March they have their annual Great Daffodil Campaign – when they sell daffodil badges to raise important funds that help them to treat more people – some of whom might be Trafford Centre staff or customers.

DOME: Painting the Town Yellow!

[With the new LED technology powering our dome, we are able to switch colours to almost any shade we like. We know that thousands of people notice when we do this – not least the many motorists who zoom past us on the M60 just nearby.

So what better way to raise awareness of the daffodil campaign than by switching an iconic landmark yellow?

For the rest of March, you’ll be seeing events and fund-raisers across the country for Marie Curie – and you can support the campaign really easily by buying your daffodil at participating retailers – in The Trafford Centre, they are Café Rouge, Barburito, Pesto and Space NK.

Take a look at the Marie Curie Cancer Care website for more details.

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Lions disappear at The Trafford Centre

IN DANGER: The wild lion.

The Trafford Centre likes its lions. You can see that from the array of marble beasts which guard the Centre at various entrances, especially outside The Great Hall.

But did you know that real lions are in serious danger of extinction? Fifty years ago there were around 200,000 lions in the wild – today, there are barely 20,000 remaining.

That’s a drop of 90% in wild lion populations – a shocking decline that makes some experts worry this proud creature might never recover without urgent and international help.

Thankfully, someone cares enough to do something about this. Lionaid is a new charity set up to bring attention to the plight of these large cats in Africa.

To drum up attention, and to show what the world might be like without lions, the charity is taking on a massive UK tour of prominent public lions, and shrouding them in black material as a thought-provoking reminder of how these amazing creatures could easily disappear into history.

The “Where Have all the Lions Gone?” campaign begins today (March 1st) in Glasgow and ends on the 31st March in Trafalgar Square – with 11 UK cities in between (Blantyre, Blackpool, Manchester, Liverpool, Nottingham, Norwich, Birmingham, Bath, Cowes, Portsmouth and Rochester).

So at 10am on March 7th, the Lionaid crew and their local supporters will be at The Great Hall near Regent 13 car park, to hold a solemn ceremony in which 8 of our lovely lions will be temporarily shrouded.

Click to visit Lionaid online.

Come down to the shrouding ceremony, or click on the Lionaid logo to visit their website for more information, and clear instructions on how you can get involved.

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Trafford Centre Dome to shine yellow

THE spectacular main dome of The Trafford Centre will light up a bright yellow next month, to mark the start of the national Great Daffodil Appeal.

DAFFODIL: One way to support the appeal.

This annual month-long event aims to raise more than £5million for the Marie Curie Cancer Care charity – a vital organisation that employs thousands of doctors and nurses to provide care for terminally ill cancer patients, whether at home or in hospices.

About 70% of the charity’s income comes from generous donations from people and businesses. That will be added to this year, organisers hope, with the proceeds from the sale of daffodil badges.

But selling those badges and winning that public support relies on awareness. People need to know about the Great Daffodil Appeal before they will support it – and that’s where The Trafford Centre Dome comes in!

With many thousands of staff and customers passing under the dome each day, and hundreds of thousands more passing the dome on the motorways just outside the Centre, it remains one of the most iconic and best-recognised land-marks in the city.

We know that people really do notice when we change the colour of the dome lights (Gallery) – and we couldn’t think of a better cause to switch the lights for than Marie Curie Cancer Care.

So on March 1st, the start of the Appeal, we will be bathing the dome in yellow lights to remind everyone to take part and support this fantastic charity.

You can help raise funds by buying your daffodil at participating stores – Café Rouge, Barbourito, Pesto and Space NK. Take a look at the Marie Curie Cancer Care website for more details.

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Famous Monks kick start Chinese New Year

DANCE: Colour and noise!

I’m really looking forward to our Chinese New Year celebrations this month, as we are expecting a very special visit from some very famous performers.

The incredible Shaolin Monks will be taking to the Main Stage on the afternoon of February 13th, to stun our shoppers with their gob-smacking stunts and combat moves.

There are around 10,000 Shaolin Monks in the world, and as well as being great fighters, they are great marketers. Since the 1970s, the monks have been very active in the world of popular culture – which has helped them survive in a world where many ancient traditions fall by the wayside.

Some of you will remember the 1970s TV series Kung Fu starring David Carradine. That great series featured the Shaolin temple and first turned the monks into a global phenomenon.

And since then, younger generations have been introduced the monks via rap stars the Wu Tang Clan, the Mortal Kombat computer games – and even honorary mentions in The Simpsons!

So this New Year, it’s the turn of The Trafford Centre to showcase this talented temple. They’ll be using shields and sabres to show off their skills – joined by death-defying acrobats and some more sedate traditional Chinese arts.

With some delicious traditional Chinese food from one of our many restaurants, you couldn’t ask for a more authentic start to the Year of the Tiger.

You can read a full run-down of the acts on stage here, and we’ll be publishing a gallery of photographs straight after the event, so watch this space.

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Students shine at The Beauty Theatre

MASTERCLASS: At The Beauty Theatre.

THE fantastic miniature theatre we’ve created on the Malls had a very special premiere this week – with the help of some eager students from Warrington.

The class of eleven media make-up students were the first people to experience The Beauty Theatre, there to learn tricks of the trade from uber-cool cosmetics house Illamasqua.

Illamasqua come from a very theatrical background – its roots lie in club culture, and the alternative scene. This means Illamasqua make-up is brighter, bolder and a little more outrageous than other labels – and the perfect product to show make-up students how dramatic they can be.

Phillip, the talented artist from the Illamasqua counter at Selfridges, gave a great masterclass in the application of different colours and styles.

The course tutor Debbey told me afterwards the presentation was ‘inspirational” – which is exactly what Illamasqua aim for.

So if you fancy some top tips for creating a wow look, pop to the Illamasqua concession on the lower level of Selfridges – you’ll never look at make-up in the same way again.

YOU can check out my press release on this story here.

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