Eighties fun at The Lexicon

Karen Neville

Bracknell

Enjoy an 80s style roller disco rink, follow the sticker trail and take your seat for top class sporting action this summer at The Lexicon

Embrace the retro colour and music vibes of the 80s with a fabulous roller disco at The Lexicon this summer holidays.

The roller disco will open every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until September 8th, with bookable 30 minute sessions throughout the day.

Sensory-friendly sessions, featuring quieter music and dimmed lighting will also be available at 11am every day the rink is open.

The Summer Sticker Trail is open to everyone guiding you around the town centre, searching for 10 huge old-style stickers placed in shop window. Not only is it a fun, free activity but there is also the chance to win one of five £200 gift cards from The Lexicon.

The sports screen on The Avenue will remain until September 8th, showing live screenings of Wimbledon, The Olympics, and the Paralympics at a temporary sports terrace located opposite Pandora.

There’s plenty of tables and chairs, so grab your favourite snacks and drinks, perhaps a couple of friends, sit back and enjoy the sporting entertainment.

For younger visitors, The Gruffalo, Paddington™ and Bluey & Bingo will all be visiting The Lexicon this summer. Meet The Gruffalo on 5th, Bluey & Bingo activation on 12th and Paddington™ story narration, 19th.

The character visits are free, but space is limited, so booking is required.

Another free favourite is also back this summer with The Lexicon Summer Proms on Saturday, 7th September, from noon to 7pm.

Sue Boor, head of marketing at The Lexicon, says: “We hope that the range of activities that we are running throughout the school holidays will appeal not only to children but also to adult visitors to the town centre, whether rolling skating, watching sport, listening to local entertainers or following the trail.”

Susan Halliwell, chief executive of Bracknell Forest Council, added: “There’s lots going on at The Lexicon this summer to encourage people to come along, get active, be entertained and explore our wonderful town centre. I hope as many people as possible come along and enjoy the fun.”

For more information and booking details, please visit The Lexicon Shopping, Bracknell, Berkshire.


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High Score opening at The Lexicon

Round & About

Bracknell

Ready, set, go! Family-fun in abundance at Bracknell’s new free-play gaming centre

School’s out! And, as the summer holidays kick off, High Score opened its latest location at The Lexicon shopping centre in Bracknell. At the launch weekend on the 20th and 21st July eager kids (and adults) were treated to a meet and greet with Mario & Luigi and were invited to Spin the Wheel for prizes. Inside, a gaming wonderland awaited providing endless fun for all ages.

High Score is packed with over 100 games that are all set to free play which means you can have unlimited goes for the duration of your 60-minute session without the need to keep feeding the machines with more coins. All the amusements are rated under 18 so it is a safe environment for the whole family to get involved.

Games range from retro classics to modern titles with an area dedicated to under 7s that includes fairground amusements and air hockey. Legendary favourites such as Guitar Hero, Dance Dance Revolution, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games and Candy Crush all feature, and as a child of the 80’s, I loved reminiscing with a game of Pac Man. Avoiding those pesky ghosts and filling up on flashing dots was elevated by playing it on a giant floor-to-ceiling screen.

My six-year-old son was hooked on Harpoon Lagoon which has up to four players so we could all try our luck at catching the biggest fish. He was easily able to get the hang of this game and even caught a shark for top points. As a huge Nerf fan, he also had a blast shooting targets for high scores at the Nerf Arcade machine.

Our whole family went head-to-head on the multiplayer racers with my husband thrashing me on both the superbike and supercar leader boards. However, I managed to redeem myself by pulling off some sick tricks on the Winter X Games SnoCross.

The price for a 60-minute session is £11.95 per person which is great value for unlimited play. A wealth of games and controlled sessions meant that there was no need to queue for any machines and we thoroughly enjoyed an hour of continuous action.

To book a session at High Score Bracknell visit – The Lexicon Bracknell


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Biodiversity Fun

Round & About

Bracknell

This May half term, The Lexicon has teamed up with garden and nature specialists Little Muddy Boots, to demystify the meaning of biodiversity for children, in a fun and engaging way.

From Friday, May 24 to Sunday, June 2, 2024, visitors to Bracknell town centre can embark on the Little Things Count trail, where they will discover fascinating facts about bugs, bees, blooms, birds, and butterflies.

In addition to the educational experience, participants have the opportunity to win two fabulous hampers from The Lexicon. On Tuesday, May 28, Berkshire Birds of Prey will grace The Lexicon with their majestic presence, offering visitors an unforgettable close encounter with these magnificent birds. Furthermore, CBBC’s Blue Peter Gardener, Skinny Jean Gardener, will lead a day filled with wildflower seed sowing, education, music, and fun on both Friday, May 31, and Saturday, June 1, 2024.

Little Muddy Boots will host a series of engaging workshops from May 28 to June 1, 2024, providing children with the chance to discover how small actions can make a significant impact on local wildlife. These workshops offer various activities, including exploring, planting, and crafting items such as bug hotels, wildflower seed bombs, and bird snacks to take home.

Sue Boor, head of marketing at The Lexicon, expresses hope that this fun and educational initiative will help children comprehend the crucial roles played by different forms of life in maintaining environmental health. Additionally, a dedicated web page featuring short educational videos and downloadable activity sheets has been created to further children’s learning about bugs, bees, blooms, birds, and butterflies.

For more information about Little Things Count and details on how to book for the different workshops please visit https://www.thelexiconbracknell.com/

Home Hub Academy to boost skills

Karen Neville

Bracknell

A new training programme is helping to develop the skills of Bracknell tradespeople

A new learning academy has been launched to develop the skills of local people in the Bracknell area by independent window and door specialist, Home Hub.

The Home Hub Academy is an 18-month training programme which combines classroom learning, course work, and hands-on workshops in the company’s dedicated 2,000sqft facility in Bracknell. The programme aims to broaden the knowledge and skills of local installers from product knowledge to customer service, providing the recruits with the right skills to thrive within a growing local business and flourish in the construction industry.

There are currently nine people taking part, with the aim for 28 to be fully qualified each year. Curtis Lockyer, 24, who is currently taking part in the academy, said: “I’m excited to finish the Home Hub Academy and be a fully qualified installer. It’s a great opportunity to be part of a growing company, that wants to ensure they offer the best for their customers and employees because they care about the future.”

As well as being salaried, trainees taking part in the programme benefit from an energetic, fun learning environment where they build their skills under the wings of a team of fully qualified installers. Upon completion trainees will receive a fenestration apprenticeship qualification.

Laurence Tuck, Founder and Managing Director, at Home Hub Group, said: “We wanted to create our own training programme to ensure the windows and doors we supply, from award-winning brands like Origin, are installed the right way, every time and to broaden the opportunities available to those who want a career in construction. Our training programme is open to anyone, and we are really excited to have created a safe environment where people feel valued, learn a new skill, and will be financially rewarded from day one.”

Visit Home Hub’s website to find out more about its window and door installation academy.

Celebrate Christmas at The Lexicon

Karen Neville

Bracknell

Enjoy festive fun activities for the whole family at Bracknell’s leading shopping centre

Shoppers at The Lexicon will be greeted by glittering lights, a 10-metre Christmas Tree and festive market stalls, as part of an array of festive activities for all the family from Saturday, 26th November to December 24th.

One of the borough’s spectacular forest giants, Will Wildwood will return to Princess Square, dressed for the festive season complete with festive forest foliage and frost-tipped sparkling lights to help raise money for Bracknell Foodbank. Every time someone uses the Winter Will Wildwood slide, The Lexicon will donate 20 pence to the foodbank up to a maximum of £5,000.

There’s a Snowflake Trail for families to follow around the town centre, using spectacular artwork created by local children with a chance to win a fabulous family prize from Cineworld and Gymfinity.

But, the star of the show is a magical virtual sleigh ride. Families will be transported across the world as they give Santa’s brand-new sleigh a trial flight before Christmas Eve.

Begin your journey by being transported into a virtual bay using a VR headset with a fully immersive experience including 360-degree views and matching movements. Hold on to your hats everyone, this could be a bumpy ride!

SEND sessions available.

For more information about Christmas at The Lexicon and to book tickets for the sleigh ride visit https://www.thelexiconbracknell.com/.

Happy 5th birthday to The Lexicon

Karen Neville

Bracknell

Bracknell’s fabulous shopping centre is celebrating and you’re invited to join them

Celebrate The Lexicon’s fifth birthday with forest giants, seedling sprites, night forest theatre and a special birthday proms taking place in the town centre from August 24th to September 4th.

The Bracknell Giants, so popular last year, will return with two new friends. Bracknell Forest Guardian Elderma and the adventurous Will Wildwood, boasting an integral slide.

Also new for this year is The Night Forest theatre show, where younger visitors and their families will meet five fabulous forest creatures. Using holographic technology, these characters will appear to come to life as part of this interactive show. Places to attend The Night Forest Show can be pre-booked, with all proceeds going to The Lexicon Charity Fund.

Younger visitors and their families will meet five fabulous forest creatures

There’s also a Seedling Sprite Trail to follow, pick up a trail sheet and unlock the secrets for the chance to win some wonderful prizes, a host of fun entertainers, giveaways, a special birthday Proms taking place on Saturday, 3rd September and much much more.

The birthday proms will feature performers giving away birthday badges, tote bags and cupcakes.

From Monday, 5th September The Lexicon will be giving away five fabulous prizes donated by Beaverbrooks, Pandora, Marks & Spencer, Wagamma and Primark so keep your eyes on their Facebook page!

They will also reveal which local community groups have been awarded £5,000 each from The Lexicon Charity Fund.

Bracknell Forest Council and The Lexicon have teamed up to create the Bracknell Forest Festival so make sure that you put a note in your diary now.

Find out more

Find out more by visiting www.bracknellforestfestival.com

Allelujah all! Christmas concert in Bracknell

Round & About

Bracknell

Music-lovers can enjoy the dulcet tones of Thames Voyces at their annual visit to St Joseph’s Church in the centre of Bracknell at 7.30pm on Saturday, 15th December

Thames Voyces will sing a selection of seasonal choral music and audiences can also enjoy readings, and carols (some with audience participation) from 7.30pm. Some seasonal refreshments will also be served in the interval if your singing comes up to scratch! The choir will be under the baton of musical director, Nick Austin, and accompanied by Ben Giddens.

The choir will present Christmas music from across the centuries, from cradle songs such as the Coventry Carol and Away in a Manger, to more celebratory music such as Deck the Halls and perhaps the fastest one-horse open sleigh in Berkshire! What better way to start your Christmas with one of Berkshire’s top chamber choirs?

Thames Voyces rehearse in the splendid surroundings of the Recital Room in South Hill Park on Tuesday evenings. They continually strive to give high quality concerts in the Bracknell area, regularly performing concerts in Binfield and Crowthorne, as well as what is becoming their annual carol concert at St Joseph’s.

The choir are grateful for St Joseph’s for kindly hosting the concert and, following the concert, there will be a retiring collection to assist the work that St Joseph’s undertakes, in association with other Bracknell churches, to assist the homeless and those in need this festive season.

For further information on this concert and others in Crowthorne and Binfield next year, please visit www.thamesvoyces.org.uk