An update from our centre manager

What a strange year it has been. We are almost halfway through May already and on behalf of all of my management team, we are missing our lovely customers and store teams more than ever.
While I’ve been working from home, I’ve had the chance to reflect on happier times at the centre, looking over old photographs and videos from the family events we’ve hosted through the years.
We’ve shared a selection of those memories with the Doncaster Free Press and across our social media channels, too, in the hope that we can spark a little joy and remind our customers just what makes Lakeside Village so special – our commitment to bringing families and the community together.
Another example of the support we have from our local community is the response to our JustGiving appeal. At the end of April, we were devastated to learn that the home of Eileen Harrington – founder of our charity of the year, Donmentia – had been broken into.
Thieves had stolen Eileen’s laptop, which contained important information about Donmentia and its members, causing a huge amount of stress and upset at a time that is already incredibly difficult for the charity as it tries to continue it’s vital work supporting those living with dementia in Doncaster.
We want to raise £500 to support Eileen and her colleagues during this tough time and, thanks to the loyalty of our customers, we’ve raised £185 so far. Thank you to everyone who has contributed. If you’d like to make a donation, you can do so here.
Closer to home, we were thrilled to see the Costa Coffee Drive Thru at Lakeside open last week. It is a positive first step for us all as we look to slowly reintroduce a bit of normality to our lives.
The latest announcement from the government has indicated that some shops could start opening from 1 June, which is also welcome news and gives us some further focus to work towards.
We hope to be provided with more clarification around what exactly that means for us here at Lakeside Village but, in the meantime, we are continuing to work hard behind the scenes to make sure that when we do reopen and welcome customers back, we are providing the safest possible environment for both our shoppers and our staff.