2009

Santa Claus and his reindeer have arrived in Letchworth Garden City!

Visit Santa’s Grotto in Garden Square Shopping Centre, opposite Iceland, for some festive fun whilst shopping for your gifts and presents. Watch the kids’ faces as they enjoy a little Christmas magic!

The Grotto is open each Friday, Saturday and Sunday between now and 20 December at the following times:

*** Voting Now Closed - Watch This Space for details of the winners ***

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Win £100 in Letchworth Garden City shopping vouchers*

Every year, the Town Centre Partnership challenges shopkeepers to transform their windows into spectacular Christmas themed displays, and enter our competition.

There’s a prize on offer for the shop staff and of course, the glory of being crowned ‘Best Christmas Window 2009’.

Cue the lights… Friday 20 November 2009

Celebrate the start of the festive season with Santa. Join him in Leys Square as he switches on the Garden City's Christmas lights.

The fun begins at 4pm and continues into the evening, featuring fairground rides, fireworks and live music from Pink Champagne.

Santa will be busy all afternoon, welcoming families to Garden Square Shopping Centre and touring the Town Centre in a horse drawn carriage before switching on the lights at 6.30pm.

Eight Friends, One SongPod, 2,000 tracks, 10 fun-packed minutes of song

The SongPod has landed in the centre of Letchworth Garden City, perfect for a sing song and a laugh with your friends. 

The SongPod is a state of the art Karaoke room with LCD screens, wireless microphones and comfortable seating.

Budding vocalists can choose from 2,000 titles featuring all the latest songs from artists such as Alexandra Burke, Black Eyed Peas and Cheryl Cole, plus all time classics from Abba, Michael Jackson and many more.

Letchworth Garden City celebrated the new-look Eastcheap on Saturday 26 September. A street party hosted by the shops themselves, and co-ordinated by the Town Centre Partnership, saw big crowds enjoy free food and live music on a beautiful late autumn day. With children’s fairground rides, street entertainers and balloons, there was a real party atmosphere.

Letchworth Town Centre Photographic and Art Competition: Results

Congratulations to Paul Hickey who was awarded with £100 worth of vouchers from his chosen Letchworth Garden City retailer, Tim’s Art Supplies. The winning entry (pictured right), was selected by an independent panel of judges and shows Eastcheap’s Street Scene in transformation. Commendations were also given to entries from Kaleigh Cole and Julie Forshaw.

A Letchworth Town Centre Photographic and Art Competition

Enter Now for your chance to win £100 in Letchworth Garden City Shopping vouchers*

As work progresses to create a fantastic new Street Scene in Eastcheap and Leys Avenue, we need your help to record the transformation.

The Town Centre Partnership and the First Garden City Heritage Museum have teamed up to create an archive tracking the works from start to finish.

This summer's Letchworth Garden City Festival attracted hundreds visitors from far and wide for a fantastic activity-packed week of fun. 

Beginning the programme on 25 July, the Letchworth and Baldock Lions raised record funds for the Motor Neurone Disease Association through various fun activities, charity stalls and a raffle.

Throughout the week, a programme of walks, talks, quizzes, cycle rides and live music – organised by a number of local community organisations and groups, kept the Festival momentum going.

The 70,000sq ft food superstore, Morrisons 97th store and one of the first located in the south of England, opened its doors on 5 July 1999.

Letchworth Arts Centre is spearheading a summer event which will celebrate the 50s, 60s and the glory days of Garden City industries of yesteryear.

Former employees from some of the town’s best-loved firms including Marmet, Jones Cranes, Shelvoke & Drewery, ICL, Meredews and Ogle will form a ‘Walk of History’ along Broadway Walk, on Saturday 1 August.

There will be children’s activities, classic bikes, cars and vans, stalls, tea room and museums’ exhibition marquees and live 50s and 60s music on Broadway Gardens.

Our first issue of 'Shop!' has hit the streets...

This new publication will keep you up-to-date with everything happening in Letchworth Garden City town centre.

If you’re looking to entertain the kids this Easter Holiday then a visit to Letchworth Garden City Town Centre is a must.

Between Monday 6 and Saturday 11 April, Kids under 12 can put their observation skills to the test, in search of four hidden Easter Eggs.

Every child that discovers the correct location of the hidden Easter Eggs will
receive a free chocolate novelty*, from Annie’s Chocolate Emporium – the perfect reward for all their hard work searching the town.

Town Centre Partnership member retailer Edinburgh Woollen Mill held a St Andrew’s Day Extravaganza on Saturday 28 November with a highland piper, sherry and shortbread tastings, and special offers throughout the shop.

Manager Paul Byrne said: “It was a real pleasure to bring a little pre-Christmas sparkle and cheer to warm our customers old and new on a very cold day.”

More than just shopping, enjoy a host of Christmas events in the heart of Garden City...

Saturday 19 December
Christmas Farmers’ Market
9am – 1pm, Leys Square

Christmas Carol Service
5pm, Leys Square

First Garden City Heritage Museum Christmas Fun Day
11am – 4pm, 296 Norton Way South

Open now until 21 December
Christmas Craft Fair
Monday - Friday 10:00am to 5:00pm
Saturday - 10:00am to 3:00pm
Letchworth Arts Centre, 2 The Arcade

Thank you for helping us decide the winner!

For the first time this year, our popular Christmas Window Competition was judged online by you, our shoppers.  All the windows attracted votes, but the clear winner was Campbell & Toft Delicatessen of 43 Leys Avenue.  Our congratulations go to Mary and Taz for another great effort this year.

The runners up were The Christian Bookshop and Buy The Book.

With just a few days to go until Christmas don't forget Letchworth Garden City is the perfect destination for last minute shopping.

Offering a great mix of independent and national stores you're bound to find the perfect gift for that special someone.

Click here for a full list of Garden City shops and services.

Merry Christmas from Letchworth Garden City Town Centre Partnership