Willow Brook brings the beach to Bradley Stoke

Photo of beach and flying umbrellas in the town square.
Beach and flying umbrellas in the town square at the Willow Brook Centre.

With the scorching July sunshine ensuring the summer is in full swing (at least as we went to press), the Willow Brook Centre has brought the beach to Bradley Stoke!

As part of its ‘Summer at Willow Brook’ promotion, the centre has shipped in 38 tonnes of sand to the town square, along with dozens of buckets and spades for visitors to enjoy.

The experience doesn’t stop there – as dotted around the ‘beach’ are 45 regular deckchairs, plus one giant deckchair taking pride of place.

Centre manager Andy Wynn, hasn’t stopped smiling since it all arrived at Willow Brook:

“We’ve been planning our Summer at Willow Brook for several months, so to see it all coming together is fantastic. As well as the square looking great, we’ve got a stack of activities and competitions taking place during the coming weeks.”

Taking centre stage is, of course, the Willow Brook Centre’s very own Gromit, who can be found at the Bradley Stoke Way end of the mall, opposite the Giant cycle store.

Gromit’s design is based upon the Swallows and Amazons movie from British filmmakers StudioCanal, which features Hollywood stars who’ve appeared in films such as Spectre and Harry Potter.

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The Palliative Care and Bereavement Support Team at Bristol Children’s Hospital has been named as the official department that will benefit from donations collected at the Willow Brook Centre and from the auction of the sculpture following the conclusion of the trail.

Look out for the contactless donation point alongside Gromit which accepts credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Adorning the blue skies at the centre are 200 brightly coloured umbrellas, swinging high above the town square.

Bradley Stoke Radio will be hosting a fun day on Saturday 4th August and the local branch of Happy Days Nursery will be putting on arts and crafts on Wednesday 8th August.

Andy said:

“That’s literally a sneak peak of what we’ve got on this summer here at Willow Brook. We can’t wait to see everyone enjoying the sunshine, playing in the sand and making the most of the entertainment.”

Prizes are being given away throughout the summer on the centre’s social media by using the hashtag ‘summeratwillowbrook’: Facebook @WillowBrookCentre, Twitter @WillowBrookCtr, and Instagram @willowbrookcentre

The team will also be sharing updates on The Grand Appeal and fundraising efforts in conjunction with their Gromit.

Photo of staff at the Willow Brook Centre with their 'Swallows and Amazons' Gromit figure.
Staff at the Willow Brook Centre with their ‘Swallows and Amazons’ Gromit figure.

This article originally appeared in the July/August 2018 issue of the Bradley Stoke Journal news magazine (on page 12). The magazine is delivered FREE, EVERY MONTH, to ALL 8,700 homes in Bradley Stoke. Phone 01454 300 400 to enquire about advertising or leaflet insertion.

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