High Chelmer Celebrated Turning 50

High Chelmer Shopping Centre hit an exciting milestone in 2022, 50 years since it opened its doors. With sustainability at the heart of everything we do, we wanted to ensure this was a central theme of our celebrations. At the start of the year, we reached out to five local schools inviting them to transform recycled materials into a special 50^th Birthday emblem.

These emblems, alongside a giant birthday card showcasing photos from the centre’s history, went on display in July-August. Visitors were invited to vote for their favourite artwork, with the winning school receiving art supplies from The Works. In total, 963 visitors cast their vote, with Cathedral School being chosen as our lucky winner. A massive thank you to Barens Farm Infant School, Kings Road School, Moulsham Infant School, and St Anne’s Prep School, who also participated.

We also hosted a special giveaway one weekend in August where visitors could claim a special 50th Birthday tote bag for free when they donated a piece of recycling. The donated recycling was gifted to Chelmsford For You’s Green City 2022 campaign. With the help of a local artist, Elaine Tribley,  they transformed the recycling collected into a flower-themed art installation which hung in the centre the last week of August.