Supporting Our Communities

Our assets are located in communities across the UK and play an integral role in the lives of our customers. We aim to enrich lives and strengthen communities by meeting the needs of all our customers and supporting and championing local causes.

Our Charity Partnership with the Trussell Trust

Our corporate charity partnership with the Trussell Trust began in June 2019. The Trussell Trust’s vital work supports over 1,200 food banks across the UK, while campaigning to ensure everyone can afford their own food. As the pandemic unfolds, more people than ever are expected to need a food bank.

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Making Our Centres Autism-Friendly

There are 700,000 autistic people in the UK, and trips to the shops can be stressful for autistic adults and children. Frustration or anxiety can be caused by not understanding why we need to shop or what will happen during shopping, and individuals can be overwhelmed by sensory experiences in retail environments. NewRiver is proud to participate in the National Autistic Society's Autism Hour initiative, ensuring centres and their occupiers adapt their environments to make autistic shoppers more comfortable and reduce sensory overload. This includes:

Launched in 2017, the Autism Hour campaign runs every October, and the National Autistic Society encourages businesses to hold their own Autism Hour sessions regularly throughout the year. ATW had 16 centres participate in the 2018 campaign, with over half now hosting regular Autism Hour sessions throughout the year. Several of our centres have also created pre-visit sensory guides to enhance the shopping experience for autistic individuals.

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As part of our commitment to serve you to the best of our ability, we offer:

  • ⁠Turning down music, in-store announcements, and other controllable noises
  • Dimming or switching off lights where safe to do so
  • ⁠Training employees to understand autism and how they can assist
  • Raising public awareness about autism and collecting feedback


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    Tackling Loneliness Amongst the Elderly

    Most people will feel lonely at some points in their lives, but for a growing number of people, particularly those in later life, loneliness can have a significant impact on their wellbeing. According to Age UK, the UK has 3.6 million older people living alone, of whom 2 million are aged 75 or older.

    In association with Age UK and other elderly charities, a number of our centres – including The Forum in Wallsend, Priory Meadow Shopping Centre in Hastings,and Hillstreet Shopping Centre in Middlesbrough – host regular events for old people promoting friendship and providing activities.

    SHOWCASING LOCAL CREATIVE TALENT

    We collaborate with a range of national arts-based charities, in cooperation with The Arts Council, Charities Commission, and the Local Government Association, to utilise empty spaces across our portfolio as a platform for local artists. This includes using units for exhibitions and gallery spaces, workshops, temporary studios, performance spaces, and even for the storage of artworks. As part of the agreement, the charities assume liability for the business rates on each unit, and ATW covers any shortfall not covered by charity business rates relief. Additionally, ATW makes a monthly charitable donation to the charities.