A new project being launched in the Bonymaen area is seeking to engage young people with technology and music. Following an enourmously successful pilot of the project, music@bonymaen is being launched thanks to a generous £5,500 donation from The Junction, the company that owns and operates the neighbouring Morfa Shopping Park. The funds will allow the government initiative to run for six months, employing a music tutor to teach more than 50 people the art of writing songs, producing digital recordings and making movies.

Members of the older community are also being invited to get involved in the scheme and it is hoped that the polar age groups will engage creatively with one another, build bonds, banish negative sentiment and gain confidence skills.

The Junction’s Morfa Retail Park POD will be hosting an introductory launch of the music@bonymaen project between 11am and 5pm on Wednesday, 16th July. Tele-visual installations and demonstrations of the music-creation software will allow the public to get a taster of the scheme. The team will be on hand to answer questions and those who benefited from the pilot of the scheme will also attend to provide an insight into the project and to showcase their musical creations.

Lois Williams, Responsible Business Manager at The Junction, comments: “The quality of the works produced in the first project and the enthusiasm and engagement levels of the young people was impressive. This music project is a valuable and powerful tool that provides Bonymaen’s residents with creative and technical skills as well as a better understanding of one another. We are delighted that we are able to offer our support so the project can continue.”

Shaz Abedean, Co-ordinator of Bonymaen Communities First Partnership, comments: “We are really looking forward to the project beginning on 21st July. The Junction’s support is greatly appreciated and we look forward to introducing our project at their Morfa Retail Park this Wednesday, 16th July; we welcome members of the public to visit us there to see the value and relevance of this initiative for the area.”

The project is a partnership between The Junction Morfa Shopping Park, Bonymaen Community Events Group, Bonymaen Achievers (a local youth forum), City and County of Swansea Community Regeneration Unit and Youth Service and Bonymaen Communities First Partnership. If you would like to find out more about the project please call the Bonymaen Communities First office on 01792 464 751.

Celebrity Couturier David Emanuel celebrated the launch of his new summer clothing range for Bonmarché with a special appearance at their store on The Junction’s Morfa Shopping Park on 28 March 2008. Lucky shopper Audrey Davies won a fashion make-over on the day and was treated to a personal styling session by the man himself.

Susan Moore, Bonmarché Store Manager said, “We really enjoyed having David in the store and it was fun watching him choose an outfit for Audrey Davies. The reaction to the clothes has been fantastic and we’re already looking forward to the next phase of the collection.”

The premium collection is available at the top 125 Bonmarché stores and to celebrate the launch, David has begun a tour of the UK where he will visit 17 of these stores promoting his new clothing range.

David Emanuel, a graduate from the Royal College of Art has designed fabulous clothes for members of the British and European royal families and some of the world’s most beautiful women including Jane Seymour, Joan Collins, Ivana Trump, Madonna and Elizabeth Taylor. His most famous commission was to co-design the wedding dress for Lady Diana Spencer for her marriage to Prince Charles.

Mike Dee, Asset Manager at The Junction, said, “We provide customers with a wide range of shops, from fashion stores to DIY. Retail Parks are changing and are offering a new experience - the launch of Bonmarche’s latest fashion range reflects this. Shoppers now come to the park expecting to have a day out. They purchase something for the house as well as browse the latest fashions then they usually stop for a bite to eat at one of the food outlets before heading home.”

Stores at the Morfa Shopping Park include B&Q, Boots, TK Maxx, Sports World, New Look, Next, Game, Carphone Warehouse, Starbucks, KFC, Frankie & Benny’s, Pizza Hut and much more.

The Junction, co-sponsors of the Osprey’s rugby development team, has completed two lettings in its POD at Morfa Shopping Park in Swansea.

GAME, a specialist retailer of PC and video games, video consoles and related accessories, has taken a 1,500 sq ft unit on a 10 year lease and Orange, one of the world’s leading telecommunications operators, has taken a 2,100 sq ft unit on a 10 year lease.

A unique facility that offers additional services on the retail park, The POD provides customers with a community area that includes WC’s, a coffee shop and public seating. The management suite is also located within the POD, offering shoppers and retailers alike on site support including car park managment, an important feature of The Junction’s commitment to providing and delivering a high standard of service.

Mike Dee, Asset Manager at The Junction suggests that the make up of retail parks is changing. He comments, “Retailers are re-focusing on flexibility of space, and demand for smaller units of 7,500 sq ft or less on retail parks is increasing. Our POD concept attracts a high level of demand for 1,500 sq ft units from occupiers such as GAME and Orange as well as continued demand from coffee shop operators.”

Robert Quinn, Operations Director at GAME comments, “Our move to The Junction has enabled us to grow in an area that is currently experiencing substantial activity in terms of customer demand and retail expansion. We are confident that this new unit will enable us to maximise business in this region.”

Morfa Shopping Park is adjacent to the new Liberty Football and Rugby Stadium in Swansea. Tenants include B&Q, TK Maxx, Next, Boots ASDA George, Sportsworld, Peacocks, Brantano Footwear and New Look.

For years, Swansea has been a black spot for car crime, but some attempts to curtail the problem are having a noticeable effect. The issue is being tackled thanks to the Safer Car Park Award scheme, an initiative formed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPOs) aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime in parking areas.

The Junction’s Morfa Shopping Park has actively sought to achieve this nationally recognised award, which aims to reduce crime on car parks by helping to create an environment where customers feel safe, to encourage repeat custom and ensure customers their safety and enjoyment is of a high priority.

The Park Mark Safer Parking Award is presented by the British Car Parking Association (BPA), which has granted Morfa Shopping Park the award for meeting the strict requirements of a risk assessment, conducted by the Police. The Junction, working with their on site car park management consultants, Euro Car parks (ECPfm), put measures in place to proactively deter criminal activity and anti social behaviour at Morfa Shopping Park, including urging shoppers to ensure their vehicles are left secure and that no items such as sat navs or bags, are left on show inside the vehicle.

In demonstrating that these initiatives can prevent crime and reduce the fear of crime in their parking area, The Junction was granted the Park Mark.

Morfa Shopping Park is one of many Junction retail parks to achieve the high standards required for a Park Mark, with St Georges Retail Park, Leicester and Cambridge Close, Aylesbury receiving awards earlier this year; Telford Forge Shopping Park and Slough Retail Park awarded the Park Mark last year and Imperial Park, Bristol being awarded the Park Mark in 2006.

Peter Collinson, Head of Operations at The Junction comments “We are delighted to receive this award, which recognises our commitment to creating a clean and safe environment on our retail parks. The award benchmarks our parking facility and demonstrates our commitment to creating a high quality family-friendly car park environment. We are keen to ensure that our shoppers experience the best service at Morfa Shopping Park, with many improvements and upgrades for retailers and shoppers being put in place, from better CCTV systems to stricter management of the disabled parking bays.”

Police Constable John Tincombe, Force Crime Reduction Officer with the South Wales Constabulary comments: “To gain the award the car park operator must put in place measures that help to deter criminal activity and anti-social behaviour in their parking area. It is the support of local businesses and operators, like The Junction that makes the scheme worthwhile and helps to build safer communties.”

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