Shopping centre revamp starts next month

We’ve been awarded the money through central government’s Getting Building Fund to transform the Sovereign Centre in Weston-super-Mare into a multi-use, community-focused events space.

Planning approval was granted in October and the ambitious plans include:

• workspaces for business and entrepreneurs, which will support more local working following a post-pandemic decrease in commuting
• enhancing the quality and selection of food and drink within a new dining area
• creating space to support active lifestyles and wellbeing, such as a bike hub
• revamping key parts of the interior and exterior of the building.

Work to transform the centre starts in December.

We also need your help in choosing a new name for the centre and a consultation will take place in the coming weeks.

It’s a community space so it’s important the community has their say on what the centre will be called.

Follow us on Facebook to hear when the consultation launches or keep an eye on the news releases on our website.

Follow a festive trail to find 10 four foot high Santas decorated by local schoolchildren in and around the Sovereign Centre this Christmas.

The Santa trail runs from Saturday 27 November to Monday 3 January and is just one of many festive events taking place.

There will also be market stalls and musical entertainment in the food hall, and an art shop and display in the former ping pong parlour.

Children can also learn how to build a space rocket during special Mission to Mars workshops, run by Brainiacs.

Find out more about late night shopping, the Christmas lights switch-on, and other events taking place in Weston on the Town Council website.

Poetry enjoyed by pre-school children is being displayed in the Sovereign Centre as part of an innovative scheme.

We launched The Poetry Basket project last year in partnership with MakeBelieveArts.

Research shows that literacy rates are falling in pre-school children. This project aims to help children’s language, learning and development in a fun but effective way.

Children in participating early years settings, such as childminders, pre-schools, and reception classes, learn new poems across the year.

These poems are then made available for children, their carers and family members to learn and say together out in the community.

In the next stage of the project, the Sovereign Centre is displaying these poems around the building for all to see.

Other businesses are encouraged to display the poems too, so children can enjoy the magic of poetry and develop their language skills while out and about.