Hundreds attend the Grosvenor Centre's student lock-in as university moves to town

Students from the new Waterside Campus and colleges from around town were invited to the lock-in on Monday night (October 1).

From 6.30pm to 8.30pm, students were given the run of the centre, giving them the chance to take advantage of savings and special offers and get into the party mood with live music and entertainment.

The event on Monday (October 1) came as 1,000 new students had spent their first week at the giant new learning village just off Becket's Park.

It is estimated the expanded university could contribute some £300 million-a-year to the local economy in terms of student spending, job procurement and employment.

The town's shopping centre was bustling on Monday night as big name brands discounted their wares for students.

Interim centre manager, Colin Bell, said he was delighted to see so many students enjoying the evening. "We had a fantastic turnout,” said Colin. “Our student shopping nights are one of the highlights of the year for us and they continue to grow in popularity.

“It was great to see so many smiling, happy faces throughout the evening and I’m pleased that our retailers really got involved with the student spirit.

"We had a range of brilliant entertainment in the centre to make sure that everyone had a great time."

The event was free for anyone over the age of 16 who attends sixth form, college or university, with discounts and one-night-only offers available throughout the evening.

"We had multiple DJs providing the music on the malls throughout the evening," Mr Bell added.

“The team from the popular student union bar, The Platform, also joined us to provide a range of prizes and giveaways that went down a treat and it was great to welcome them to the centre for the evening.”

“Alongside all the fun, our retailers also had a great evening with shoppers loving the offers from stores such as Superdry, Topshop, Topman, The Body Shop and Office to name just a few.”