The Swan has marked its 10^th anniversary with the creation of a giant birthday card, to celebrate the culmination of this milestone year!

The card, which is constructed of wood and measures 2m high by 2.5m wide, features birthday messages to The Swan from some of its long-standing customers, as well as highlights from the shopping centre’s history. It will be installed on the mall at The Swan until the end of 2022.

This year has also seen the arrival of a new shopping centre manager at The Swan, Peter Hardingham. Peter brings with him over 40 years’ experience in the retail sector, most recently within his thirteen-year tenure as Centre Manager at The Octagon Shopping Centre in Burton upon Trent. He has also worked in a head office role for Birthdays / Clintons and as a Store Manager in several locations at BHS, giving him experience across varying aspects of the retail sector.

The Swan stands on the site of the former Swan Shopping Centre and multi-storey carpark which opened in the early 1960’s and at the time boasted the longest bar in Europe! The centre closed in 2009 and underwent a multi-million pound redevelopment, creating 500 jobs and providing a new and vibrant outlook for the area.

The centre is now preparing to welcome back its popular Santa’s Grotto to the centre on Sat 26 November as part of its festive celebrations. The grotto will also be raising funds for the centre’s Charity of the Year, SIFA Fireside, a day facility for the homeless or vulnerably housed.

Peter Hardingham, Centre Manager at The Swan Shopping Centre, said:

“We wanted to create something to mark 10 years of The Swan that would have the wow factor and really capture people’s attention.  It’s also great to have so many personal messages on here from our fantastic customers.

“It’s an honour to have become the Swan’s centre manager during such a milestone year. It’s clear how much the centre means to the Yardley community and I look forward to helping it continue its journey during this new era.”