Halton Lea in Runcorn gearing up for 40th birthday bash

May 3 2012 by Mark Smith, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

THIS weekend sees a series of events to mark the 40th birthday of Halton Lea shopping centre.

The centre – Runcorn Shopping City as it was then known – was officially opened by The Queen on May 5, 1972 and few buildings have divided opinion as much then or since.

Costing £10m it was the centrepiece of Runcorn New Town and the largest indoor shopping area in Europe at the time, with a modern interior which would not have looked out of place in one of the sci-fi blockbusters of the era.

To mark its fourth decade in business, the shopping centre will host a fun-filled day of activities on Saturday.

It will be decorated with celebratory bunting and balloons and the first 250 visitors can enjoy an exclusive birthday cupcake.

Shoppers are invited to come and meet the 8ft tall robot Titan, made famous by appearances on television and in music videos, who loves to sing, dance and tell jokes.

Titan will also be helping to cut a giant birthday cake at 12.30pm and will be putting in a second appearance at 3.30pm.

Visitors will also be wowed by Tiny – a life-like Stegosaurus.

There are three chances to meet Tiny throughout the day, at 11.30am, 1.30pm and 2.30pm.

Claire Johnson, of Halton Lea Shopping Centre, said: “We wanted to plan a day of family activities to say thank you to all our loyal shoppers from the last 40 years.

“Titan and Tiny are incredible attractions and we hope people will really enjoy the experience of seeing them in their local shopping centre.”

Radio DJ Roy Bassnett will also be in the centre keeping everyone entertained with tunes and on-the-spot giveaways.

A centre spokeswoman added: “Keep your eyes peeled for the centre’s Facebook photographer, too.

“If you get snapped, tag yourself online – there are loads of great prizes up for grabs.”

The day’s festivities start at 11.30am.

Visit www.halton-lea.co.uk for more information.