The Centre Livingston – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Superheroes set to descend upon The Centre Livingston this Easter

Shoppers are in for a special treat this Easter as Batman and the iconic Tumbler Batmobile, and his superhero friends, are set to descend upon The Centre, Livingston this Easter for the first time ever on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th of April.

The two-day event, from 10am-4pm, will be hosted by Scotland’s largest free Comic Con, with one of the many highlights being ‘Meet & Greets’ with comic-favourites, including Spider-Man, Venom, Iron Man, Bluey, Sonic and Knuckles.

There will also be over 60 exhibitors with must-see, one-of-a-kind collectables, movie and television props, a gaming zone and merchandise exclusives.

The Tumbler Batmobile, which is replica of the car used in the 2005 Batman Begins movie, will be situated at the Almondvale Boulevard entrance on both days where shoppers will have a chance to get their picture taken with the famous armoured vehicle.

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are delighted to welcome Comic Con to The Centre, Livingston for the very first time on the 6th and 7th of April, which is gearing up to be a fantastic weekend for comic-fans.

“With opportunities to get photos with superhero favourites and the famous Tumbler Batmobile, and also check out the interactive displays and gaming zone, it will make for a great, fun day out for all of our visitors to the shopping centre.”

Ian Bonar from BGCP Comic Con said: “We’re thrilled to be hosting Comic Can at The Centre, Livingston this Easter.

“It will be a great event for superhero fans especially when the character-favourites including Batman, Spider-Man and Iron Man make their special appearances, which always creates a fantastic buzz everywhere they go.”

The event will take place in various areas at The Centre, Livingston, including across from Waterstones, adjacent to New Look and next to Hotel Chocolat.

Children’s author Yvonne Banham takes over the reading chair at The Centre Livingston Book Club

Children’s author Yvonne Banham, who was a nurse for ten years before deciding to embark upon her lifelong dream of becoming a children’s novelist, will be taking over the reading chair at the free Book Club at The Centre, Livingston on Saturday, 16^th March.

The aim of the book club is to give visitors to the shopping centre the opportunity to join in regular storytelling and interactive sessions with award-winning authors and discover new books.

Yvonne, who was also a lecturer in Higher Education and won a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, (SCBWI), Undiscovered Voices Award in 2020, grew up on the island of Walney, off the coast of Cumbria and spent lots of time huddled on the wild beach with a scary book.

When she left school, she couldn’t decide whether to be a nurse, an artist, or a writer, so she tried them all and decided she liked words best.

Yvonne, who now lives in Stirlingshire and writes paranormal/fantasy fiction for readers age 10-14 years old, will be talking about how she became an author and read extracts from her book, ‘The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores Mackenzie’.

The book is a ghost filled, paranormal ‘whydunnit’, packed with ghouls, shapeshifters and a grumpy gargoyle played out with lots of humour in the dark underbelly of Edinburgh’s Old Town with themes of friendships, trust, personal boundaries and the joy of found family.

Her interactive sessions will include tips on crafting your own scary story with ghosts, monsters and magical creatures, making the ‘monster’ the hero, and what makes a great villain. Kids will also have the chance to create their own bookmark.

The two 45-minute sessions on Saturday, 16^th March will take place at 11am and 1pm across from Waterstones where Yvonne’s book can be purchased and personally signed on the day.

Yvonne said: “I love any opportunity to talk about books, reading and writing, so was thrilled to be invited to The Centre, Livingston to take part in their brilliant Book Club initiative.

“I’m really looking forward to talking about Delores Mackenzie’s spooky Edinburgh adventures as well as chatting to readers about their own fantastic ideas.”

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming the very talented author Yvonne Banham to our free Book Club which is designed to give our shoppers the chance to meet lots of award-winning authors and hear extracts from the fantastic books they’ve written.

“The sessions are very interactive and great fun, with visitors also getting the chance to pick up a copy of the books from Waterstones and get them personally signed on the day too.”

Authors and illustrators who have taken up residency at the Book Club since it launched last year, include Catherine Rayner, Justin Davies, Morag Hood, Lindsay Littleson and Linda Erskine.

Further details can be found on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre on Facebook and Instagram.

Book Club author announced

The Centre, Livingston announces the next storyteller to take over the reading chair at its Book Club on Saturday, 16^th December, is the award-winning author, Lindsay Littleson, a former teacher from Glasgow who has written nine books, including her latest, Euro Spies, which was published in April this year.

The aim of the Book Club, which is situated across from Waterstones, is to encourage a love for reading, the joy of discovering new books and the chance for visitors to the shopping centre to meet different authors each month.

It follows on from the installation of the shopping centre’s free book recycling vending machine to enable people to swap their favourite novels.

Previous authors who have been welcomed at the Book Club include Linda Erskine, Justin Davies and last month, the multi award-winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner, who has just launched her 21^st book, Molly, Olive and Dexter – The Guessing Game.

Lindsay, who began writing for children in 2014 and won the Kelpies Prize for her first children’s novel, The Mixed-Up Summer of Lily McLean, will be taking over the reading chair at the Book Club on Saturday, 16^th December at 12noon and 2pm.

Her novel, Guardians of the Wild Unicorns, was published in 2019 and was nominated for the Carnegie Medal and shortlisted for both the Stockton Children’s Book Prize and East Sussex Children’s Book Prize.

Her WW1 novel Shell Hole was shortlisted for the Dundee Great War Children’s Book Prize, which inspired her to write another two historical books, A Pattern of Secrets, set in Victorian Paisley and The Titanic Detective Agency.

At the Book Club, located in The Wintergarden adjacent to Aerial Adventures, Lindsay will be reading extracts from her latest novels at 12noon, Euro Spies and The Rewilders, which was long listed for the 2022 SPARK! School Book Award. Both are aimed at 8 – 12 year olds.

At 2pm the author will be reading her favourite festive book, Santa Trap by Jonathan Emmett, aimed at 4 – 7 years – Christmas attire is encouraged!

Lindsay said: “I’m really looking forward to my storytelling sessions at the Book Club in The Centre, Livingston. It feels particularly special as I get to read exciting extracts from two of my novels and my favourite Christmas story!”

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “The Centre, Livingston Book Club has been a big hit with our visitors to the shopping centre since we launched it in October.

“It’s great to welcome a different author every month and hear them reading from their award-winning books and this month, it’s even extra special with Lindsay also reading her favourite festive book.”

Details of the Book Club can be found on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre on Facebook and Instagram.

First-ever Breakfast with Santa events launched at The Centre Livingston

The first-ever ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events launched last weekend, (2^nd and 3^rd of December) at The Centre, Livingston with proceeds going to the children’s charity CHAS, which provides the country’s only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

The breakfast events, which are a first for the shopping centre, are running over the first three weekends in December, on both Saturday’s and Sunday’s, in The Wintergarden, adjacent to Aerial Adventures.

Over 100 people attended the first weekend and enjoyed a ‘Meet and Greet’ with Santa and a story from his favourite festive book, and a hearty breakfast, followed by a personal chat with him in his Grotto, then presented with a special gift.

Families also had the chance to join in some festive fun activities, hosted by Santa’s elves, including party games, dancing, reindeer food making and designing their own Christmas tree decorations.

Tickets for the remaining ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events on the 9^th & 10^th and 16^th & 17^th of December are £14.95 for children, which includes a present from Santa, and £10.95 for adults, with £3 from every ticket sold going to CHAS. Bookings can be made on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com.

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston said: “We are delighted our ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events got off to such a fantastic start at the weekend and will help us to raise even more money for the children’s charity, CHAS.

“It was great to see generations of families joining in all the activities and having such a fantastic time, and Santa too who really enjoyed taking part in the dancing games and reading his favourite Christmas story to the kids.”

The Centre, Livingston also organised it’s second Elf Toddle Walk this year with all funds going to CHAS once again and welcomed the charity into the shopping centre at the weekend to help raise money and awareness.

Zhenya Dove, Community Fundraiser at CHAS, said: “We are very excited to be a part of yet another heart-warming initiative by The Centre, Livingston. ‘Breakfast with Santa’ is not just about bringing joy to families; it’s about creating a positive difference in the lives of those we care for at CHAS.

“It is wonderful that some of the CHAS families had the opportunity to join in the festive spirit and meet Santa.

“Our gratitude knows no bounds to The Centre, Livingston and the compassionate community whose generosity and unwavering dedication fuels our mission. Thank you!”

Over 300 elves toddle for CHAS!

Pic Greg Macvean 19/11/2023 The Centre, Livingston – Elf Toddle Walk

300 people, many dressed head to toe as elves, took part in the annual one-mile ‘Elf Toddle Walk’ to raise money for the children’s charity, CHAS on Sunday (19^th November), following the success of the inaugural event last year at The Centre, Livingston.

The family fun event, now a firm fixture in the Christmas calendar, was attended by hundreds of little toddlers who embarked on a one mile walk around the shopping centre, which was two laps, joined by acrobatic elves and Christmas characters including a Snowman and Reindeer.

Livingston Women’s FC footballers joined in the fun and carried out a light warm up for the toddlers and to help get them on their way, Go Radio, who provided the festive tunes on the day, led a Jingle Bells sing-along before the countdown took place and starting whistle was blown.

They were also given extra encouragement and entertained half-way round by 50 singers from the Singergie Choir.

On completion of the walk, all children received a commemorative wooden keepsake medal and chocolate coins, presented by the management team at The Centre, Livingston who were joined by an Elf character.

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “Thank you to everyone who came along to our annual Elf Toddle Walk at The Centre, Livingston, to help raise funds for the children’s charity, CHAS.

“It was great to welcome even more people this year!

“A big thank you also to all of our volunteers and everyone who helped make it a huge success, including the acrobats, elf helpers, Singergie Choir, Livingston Women’s FC – it was such a great way to spend a Sunday morning, having fun and raising funds at the same time for such a worthy cause.”

Zhenya Dove, Community Fundraiser at CHAS, said: “We are so grateful to all the elf-tastic participants, who joined us for the annual Elf Toddle Walk!

“Every smile and every step came with an added bonus of making a meaningful impact on the lives of children and families supported by CHAS.

“We can’t thank The Centre enough for their support and for organising such a fantastic event.”

The Centre book club welcomes award winning author Catherine Rayner

The Centre, Livingston Book Club is set to welcome the multi award-winning author and illustrator Catherine Rayner, who has just launched her 21^st book, ‘Molly, Olive and Dexter – The Guessing Game’ at this month’s storytelling event on Saturday, 18^th November.

The free monthly Book Club was officially launched in October by authors, Linda Erskine and Justin Davies, to encourage a love for reading, the joy of discovering new books and the chance to meet various authors.

Catherine, whose extensive list of books include ‘Victor – The wolf with worries’ and ‘Arlo – The lion who couldn’t sleep’ has also illustrated books for many well-known authors, like Julia Donaldson and Michael Morpurgo.

Her awards include ‘The Kate Greenaway Medal’ and ‘Booktrust Early Years Award’.

On Saturday, 18^th November at 12noon and 2pm, she will be running fun and interactive storytelling sessions for children aged two to seven at The Centre, Livingston, across from Waterstones and next to River Island.

There will also be a live ‘draw along’ which is a step-by-step guide to drawing the characters in her books, including ‘Augustus the tiger’. Activity sheets and stickers will be available for kids to take home.

Catherine said: “I’m really excited about taking part in this event. It’s always great fun to meet little readers and I hope they will enjoy the storytelling and drawing activities I have in store!

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We are delighted to welcome the fantastic children’s author Catherine Rayner into The Centre, Livingston for our next storytelling session.

“Our launch last month was very popular with our shoppers and we’re expecting our interactive session this month to be another big hit.”

The Centre, Livingston Book Club follows on from the recent installation of the shopping centre’s free book recycling vending machine to enable people to swap their favourite novels.

Details on the Book Club can be found on The Centre, Livingston website, www.thecentrelivingston.com and @shopthecentre on Facebook and Instagram.

Fa-boo-lous! Shoppers’ ‘spirits’ lifted on Halloween

The ‘fa-boo-lous’ team at one of Scotland’s largest shopping malls, The Centre, Livingston lifted shoppers ‘spirits’ on Halloween, leaving them ‘under their spell’ with ‘pumpkin’ to talk about!

Donned in different scary outfits they embarked on a walkabout during their lunch hour handing out sweets to shoppers en route.

They also popped into to their retailers, with many of them joining in the dressing up fun.

The team re-fueled halfway around the mall at the recently opened Dnisi café for a well-earned witches brew.

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “We had such great fun with our shoppers on our Halloween tour of the mall.

“It really brought a smile to people of all generations and our retailers too!

Return of the Elf Toddle Walk for children’s charity CHAS

One of Scotland’s largest shopping malls – The Centre, Livingston – has announced plans to run its ‘Elf Toddle Walk’ fundraising event again this year for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland, (CHAS), on Sunday, 19^th November at 9am, following the success of the inaugural event last year.

Over 150 little elves took part last year dressed top to toe in elf outfits, and adults too, and completed a one-mile lap around The Centre, Livingston, led by Santa’s elves, raising over £5000 for the charity, which provides the country’s only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

The charity has been providing full family support, including medical care and emotional support, for over 30 years and is committed to ensuring that no matter how short their time may be together, it is a time filled with happiness and fun.

To help get the toddlers on their way, there will be entertainment by acrobatic elves getting up to mischief and Christmas tunes by Go Radio’s afternoon presenter, Gina McKie and Floorfillerz presenter, Stevie Lennon, who will be joining in the fun, light warm up.

On completion of the walk, all children will receive a commemorative wooden keepsake medal and a Christmas treat.

Tickets for the event, which starts at 8.30am on Sunday, 19^th November are £5 per child, with all proceeds going to CHAS. Tickets can be booked at:

www.thecentrelivingston.com.

Once registered, a Christmas goody bag with a personal walk number and elf hat can be collected from the Customer Service Desk at The Centre, Livingston between the 31^st October and 18^th November, with proof of ticket, to enable participants to take part on the day.

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston, said: “After the success of our first Elf Toddle Walk last year it made perfect sense to make this a firm fixture in the calendar every year.

“The atmosphere in the shopping centre at the event last year was fantastic – it really is such a great way for families to enjoy taking part in a fun-filled event together in the run up to Christmas whilst raising money for such a great charity at the same time.”

Zhenya Dove, Community Fundraiser at CHAS, said: “We at CHAS are absolutely delighted to join hands once again with The Centre, Livingston for the fundraising Elf Toddle Walk.

“It was a tremendous success last year, and we can’t wait to create even more wonderful memories this time around while also raising funds for the families we care for.

“Our goal is to make their time together, no matter how short, as joyful and memorable as possible, filled with love, laughter, and precious moments. We invite everyone to be a part of this heart-warming event.”

Santa fundraising events unveiled for children’s charity CHAS

‘BREAKFAST WITH SANTA’ EVENTS UNVEILED AT THE CENTRE LIVINGSTON

The Centre, Livingston has unveiled plans for its first-ever ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events in the run up to Christmas, with proceeds going to children’s charity CHAS, which provides the country’s only hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions.

The six breakfast events, which will run on the first three weekends in December, include tucking into a hearty buffet breakfast in The Wintergarden, adjacent to Aerial Adventures, a visit to see Santa in his Grotto and the chance to join in some festive fun activities, hosted by Santa’s elves, including party games.

Tickets for the ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events on the 2^nd & 3^rd, 9^th & 10^th and 16^th & 17^th of December are £14.95 for children, which includes a present from Santa, and £10.95 for adults, with £3 from every ticket sold going to CHAS.

Tickets are available at The Centre, Livingston website www.thecentrelivingston.com

Patrick Robbertze, Centre Director at The Centre, Livingston said: “We’re really excited about our first-ever ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events this year in the run up to Christmas and to be able to raise funds for the children’s charity, CHAS.

“It’s a great way to combine a visit to see Santa and join in some Christmas party fun-filled activities for all the family whilst enjoying breakfast together and raising money for a very worthy cause at the same time.”

Zhenya Dove, Community Fundraiser at CHAS said: “We are so grateful and honoured to be chosen as the beneficiary for the ‘Breakfast with Santa’ events at The Centre, Livingston.

“This amazing initiative promises to infuse the holiday season with warmth and joy while allowing us the opportunity to raise crucial funds for the families we care for.

“Being the sole provider of hospice services for babies, children and young people facing life-shortening conditions in Scotland, every contribution is crucial in enabling us to continue our mission.

“The generosity of The Centre and all those attending these heart-warming events will make a real difference in the lives of these children and their families.”

The Centre announces two-year sponsorship of Livingston FC

One of Scotland’s largest shopping malls, The Centre, Livingston has this week announced a two-year sponsorship deal with local team Livingston FC, ahead of this weekend’s home game against Celtic.

The deal with the Scottish Premiership club includes The Centre logo on the sleeve of the home and away strips of the men’s first team and pitch-side banners.

It follows on from the recent sponsorship of the Mid Calder Colts 2014s full kits, after a community-wide competition to support a local sports club.

Robert Graham, Deputy Centre Director at The Centre, said: “We are delighted to be sponsoring our local football club, Livingston FC, which is on our doorstep and at the heart of the community, and seemed a natural partnership for us.

“We wish everyone at the club all the very the best for the season ahead.”

Dave Black, Chief Executive Officer of Livingston FC added: “I’m delighted that we’ve agreed this partnership with The Centre, Livingston.

“The Centre is synonymous with the town, so it was a natural conversation to have and it’s great to now have their logo proudly displayed on our men’s first-team shirts.

“I look forward to working with everyone at The Centre over the duration of the partnership and seeing how we can work together to strengthen the relationship and help grow both their presence in the town and ours.”