Keep your kids entertained this half-term on Saturday June 1^st as iconic seaside puppet duo Punch and Judy visit Castlegate Shopping Centre with their legendary show.

For over 350 years Britain’s favourite puppet show has entertained crowds the length and breath of the coast and now this dynamic pair will bring their famous bickering and bartering to the heart of Stockton.

Based on Stockton High Street Castlegate Shopping Centre welcomes the prized puppet show on Saturday June 1^st from 11am till 3pm.  Alongside the seaside entertainment, there will be balloon modelling and children can get into the spirit of the day with FREE face painting for all to enjoy.

Set to be a very popular event with the shopping centre anticipating customers coming down early to be up close Karen Eve, centre manager of Castlegate, said: “We pride ourselves being the shopping centre at the heart of the community and bringing people together.  Punch & Judy is a great reason for Grandparents, parents and the kids to all come out for a day with one another.”

“I’m sure grandparents will feel a wave of nostalgia watching Punch and Judy and kids can get to know the remarkable puppets as they perform from the classic red and white striped box.”

The last sixth months has seen a comprehensive entertainments programme being delivered as part of Castlegate’s commitment to being a shopping centre at the heart of the community.

Aimed at bringing communities together the activities are free to attend and offer customers a variety of educational, interactive and fun experiences in which parents and children can participate and enjoy.

From craft days, petting zoos, gift making for Mother’s and Father’s day. Shoppers can expect more exciting and creative experiences from the Castlegate’s summer holiday programme soon to be announced.

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Spring brings baby animals, daffodils and longer days for some of us but it can also mean the start of the dreaded spring clean.

As the weather starts to creep up into the teens we open up the windows and try and breathe fresh air into our homes. This also means fresh surfaces, carpets and porcelain.

The start of spring is the perfect time to give everything a good, thorough clean, put all your winter clothes into the loft and go above and beyond your everyday routine.

However, this can be a daunting task – especially if you have just about managed to pop your Christmas tree into the attic.

But Castlegate are always here to help, with plenty of tips and advice to make your house sparkle and shine.

Make A Plan

Start by listing every room in your house – don’t forget places like the utility room, garage and loft. Think about tasks like cleaning skirting boards, the walls and outdoor space.

If this seems a bit frightening then print out a checklist from http://bit.ly/XKnIQw and work your way through slowly but surely.

Take Your Time

If you want every square inch truly cleaned and organised then this isn’t the kind of task that takes just the weekend.

You need to go over your list, break everything down into manageable chunks and estimate how long each task will take you – if you can fit these tasks around your everyday routine that’s even better!

Get Ready

An all-purpose cleaner is a must-have and can be used for everything from kitchen surfaces to sinks and even mopping laminate flooring.

But don’t forget about specialised cleaners for your windows, wood and washroom.

Cleaning tools are just as important, so make sure you pick up a new broom and mop to make the job 10 times easier.

Microfiber cloths can be used to dust everything from glass desks through to LCD televisions.

Declutter

You don’t even have a record player so why do you still own the entire back catalogue of Jason Donovan?

The spring clean is the perfect time to declutter the whole house. The easiest way to do this is to set up four boxes labelled KEEP, TOSS, DONATE and SELL.

When going through your collection of beanie babies and vintage shoes ask yourself these top 5 questions:

• How long since I last used this?
• How many do I have and how many do I need?
• Do I like it?
• Do I really need this item in order to remember good times or lost loves?
• What the heck are you and what on earth is your purpose?

Once you’ve decided that you definitely are going to keep your wedding dress but want to get rid of your husband then why not set up a stall at a car booty? You never know, somebody might just really want your 100-piece teaspoon collection.

Bring Back Up

You’ve got your plan, your all-purpose cleaner and your cardboard boxes but then you realise you can’t do this ALL by yourself – it’s time to bring in back-up!

If you’ve got children then give them a feather duster each and ask them to clean the skirting boards – start them young and they’ll never shove all their toys under the bed as they get older.

However, if your kids would rather spend time on the Wii then why not get some of your closest friends over and make a weekend of it? Promise plenty of wine and giggles and they’ll soon be there in their finest overalls.

Top Tips

• For an everlasting sweet smell in your house pop a cinnamon stick into vacuum cleaner bag and when you turn it on it will give off a lovely scent.
• To remove scuffmarks from a wall, rub toothpaste on to them with a toothbrush then wipe with a clean cloth – just make sure you don’t put the toothbrush back in the bathroom!
• To freshen up an old oven, heat it up to Gas Mark 6 pop orange peel into an ovenproof dish, close the door and leave for 7 minutes and ta-da!
• Wooden floors come up a treat if you clean them with soapy water and two tablespoons of tea granules.
• To clean a leather chair or sofa, heat up a solution of half-vinegar, half-linseed oil, leave to cool and then dip a cloth into the solution and rub over the furniture.

If you’re looking for purse-friendly but effective storage solutions then look no further than a vacuum storage bag – you can put in everything from heavy winter bed covers through to your favorite wooly jumper then simply pop under your bed ready for the end of the year.

You can pick up all your essentials from Wilkinsons in Castlegate starting from just 27p for Pine Fresh Liquid Toilet Cleaner, Antiseptic Disinfectant for 50p and plenty more spring-cleaning products for under £1.

CASTLEGATE Shopping Centre has unveiled the final part of their £3 million refurbishment of the multi-storey car park that meets the needs of up to 800 cars on a daily basis.

Following a year of significant development for the Stockton based shopping centre the car park completion will serve to offer plenty of available parking in the heart of the town centre. Customers can expect a clean, vibrant and attractive environment that is an aesthetically striking gateway to Stockton town centre.

One of the car park’s main features includes newly installed illuminated signage designed in a heart style to reflect the Castlegate being at the heart of community shopping. Installed by Escott Signs the car parking signage will enhance the overall facility and act as a directional point for parking in town.

Karen Eve, centre manager of Castlegate said “ We have worked closely with Stockton Borough Council to play our part in transforming the High Street.  Castlegate Shopping Centre’s redevelopment of the both the car park and Spencer Market is helping to regenerate the High Street and make it a vibrant and welcoming destination for the people of Stockton and wider communities.”

“Our parking tariff is competitive starting from just 50p for three hours and £2 per day, we offer all our customers the cheapest car park in Stockton and with our renovations now complete we hope to see a lot more new faces.” She added.

Kids can bloom, grow and flower at Castlegate Shopping Centre, based on Stockton High Street this Saturday 13^th April and get the chance to grown their own spring flowers.

Celebrating the start of the new season children can decorate mini terracotta plant pots, plant seeds and learn all about how to look after their new blooms.

Activities in the shopping centre will run throughout the day from 10am to 4pm. These free sessions are suitable for all ages from toddlers to grandparents.

Karen Eve, Centre Manager of Castlegate, is excited to celebrate the start of spring in the shopping centre.

She said: “Although it may be raining outside, it is always sunny indoors at Castlegate. This Saturday we are celebrating spring and what better to welcome the start of the new season then growing your own mini garden.

“At the heart of the community, we recognise that children love getting creative and every half-term we promise to bring a craft activity for children of all ages to participate in and have plenty of fun.”

This is set to be a very popular event so make sure you come down to Castlegate early in the day to avoid any disappointment.

You can pick up all your spring essentials at Castlegate including all your spring-cleaning items from Wilkinsons, fun garden games for the kids from B&M and delicious BBQ buys from Iceland.

Plus with car parking starting from only 50p for three hours it’s time to make Castlegate your one-stop-shop for all your shopping needs.

Feathery friends and cute critters were the main event during the Easter weekend when the Easter Fun Farm came to Castlegate Shopping Centre, based on Stockton High Street.

Children met all the wild, wonderful and weird animals as well as completing fun fact sheets and colouring pages.

From baby chicks and ducks through to slithering snakes and prickly hedgehogs the Easter Fun Farm was very popular event for the whole family.

Karen Eve, Centre Manager of Castlegate, loved meeting all the animals.

She said: “It’s not every day you get to meet a red footed tortoise, an owl and a pair of tree frogs!”

“The Easter Fun Farm was a great opportunity for all members of the family, from toddlers to grandparents to meet and handle a menagerie of animals.”

Heather Plews, 54, from Stockton-on-Tees visited the Easter Fun Farm with her granddaughter Taryn Plews, 11, and they loved getting the chance to see a wide range of animals that they had never seen before.

Heather said: “My granddaughter and I loved being able to meet all the animals especially the skunk, baby chicks and the huge west African land snails!”

Taryn added: “My favourite animal was the giant bunny rabbit – it was so cute and cuddly.”

Celebrate Easter this year the traditional Italian way with Spencer Market Hall.

As a traditional festive holiday in Italy, Easter is the time of year with plenty of celebrations, parades and of course a big family meal.

Celebrate the Tuscan way on March 31st with enough food to keep you going from Good Friday through to Bank Holiday Monday with Castlegate’s Spencer Market Hall and support your local independent retailers.

Starter

Dazzle and delight the most special woman in your life this Mother’s Day with an extra little something to show her how much you love her.

From chocolates to trinkets and plenty of sparkles you can get everything for Mother’s Day under one roof at Castlegate Shopping Centre…

1) If your mum is a bit of a chocoholic then why not treat her to a luxurious box of chocolate pink champagne truffles from Thornton’s for only £9.99. The finest milk chocolate dusted with icing sugar and infused with the fresh flavour of juicy strawberries all with a hint of sparkling pink champagne these truffles make the perfect present for any true chocolate lover.

2) Pop by Poundland for quick gifts where you can pick up everything from cupcake sets to trinket boxes and chiffon scarves all for a very purse-friendly £1 each. At prices like this you can afford to get her a pile of presents for under £10!

3) Jewellery is always a fail-safe option and there are currently plenty of hot offers on at Warren James. Treat her to a fantasy real crystal bracelet for just £29.99, coming in a whole range of colours these pretty bracelets are currently Buy One Get One Free – making them the perfect present for both your mum and your bank balance.

Don’t forget to stop by Card Factory to pick up all the finishing touches including cards from 29p, gift bags, balloons and much more.  

Mothers Day, March 10th…  Don’t forget!

We’ve been to meet Karen Reynolds, owner of Wild Willow Florists who’ve just opened in Castlegate’s Spencer Market.

Karen told us a lovely story about how her Grandmother used to be a florist and how as a child she spent much of her spare time helping out.  Karen said “As a little girl I loved exploring the endless creative opportunities with flowers.  I’m also a bit of a romantic and I loved seeing happy customers when they collected an arrangement for a special event or person”.  This was her inspiration to open Wild Willow and we think she’s done a beautiful job!

Karen is a real flower artist and takes pride in styling every arrangement whether it’s a simple hand tie, or a more unique looking cone, sphere or bag.

We asked Karen what her favourite season is.  “Spring is a fabulous season.  It conjures up images of nature awakening after winter and there are flowers, twigs and leaves available in a myriad of colours.  However, in reality I’m able to source almost anything at any time of year – so ask me if you want something specific!”.    

 So, with Valentines Day next week and Mothers Day a few weeks later, why not treat the special person in your life and visit Karen today.

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching it’s time to start shopping for your loved one.

Whether it’s your soul mate, your secret crush or even your pet pooch, you can get everything for February 14^th under one roof at the Castlegate Shopping Centre.

It’s a lot easier said than done when it comes to shopping for the woman in your life for Valentines’s Day. You know at the bottom of your heart that all girls love diamonds and red roses but trying to track them down is a completely different matter but that’s where Castlegate comes in to help.

1)  Surprise her with flowers from Spencer Market Hall’s hottest new addition – Wild Willow which is owned by award winning florist Karen Reynolds. They can cater for every taste and budget so whether you want a simple beautiful white lily or a dozen red roses Karen will help you every step of the way.

2) Kate Moss’ signature perfume always receives rave reviews and you can pick up a small bottle of perfume and body lotion from B&M for only £7.99!

3) As the iconic song goes “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” and also your wallet’s best friend too at Warren James. Pick up a Tiffany-inspired sterling silver heart necklace with diamond detail for only £39 at Warren James.

With TFM Radio you can also surprise your loved one with flowers, champagne and chocolates.

All you have to do is pop on to http://www.tfmradio.com/win/castlegate-shopping-centre-valentines-day/ and tell us in no more than 100 words what makes your partner so amazing and why you love them so much.

Valentine’s Gifts For Him

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching it’s time to start shopping for your loved one.

Whether it’s your soul mate, your secret crush or even your pet pooch, you can get everything for February 14^th under one roof at the Castlegate Shopping Centre.

You’ve asked the man in your life “What do you want for Valentine’s Day this year?” a dozen times and a dozen times he has replied with “I don’t know (grunt)” which really doesn’t help the matter in hand.

So if you’re still stuck for ideas then check out the top 3 gifts for him available at Castlegate all available for under £25.

1) Stop by The Fragrance Shop and pick up a Calvin Klein CK One Shock gift set which includes a bottle of Eau De Toilette and body wash for only £24.99. The classic CK One fragrance turns to the dark side with plenty of masculine musks and spices – perfect if your other half likes to rebel against the norm.

2) If you would prefer to spend Thursday February 14^th in front of the TV watching the latest episode of Silent Witness on BBC1 then why not treat your man to Far Cry 3. Topping the gaming charts, Far Cry 3 is available on Xbox, PS3 and PC for just £25 from Grainger Games.

3)  Does your man care more about his skin then he does Match of the Day? Then why not Protect & Perfect him with Boots’ No7’s range of facial moisturisers and serum from £7.25?

Remember to pop by Poundland and Card Factory for all those little extras including Valentine’s Day cards, floating candles, love heart champagne flutes and plenty more!