Community

We love local

We’re proud that Drake Circus is a key part of Plymouth’s wider community and local attractions.

Our team is involved in various stakeholder groups; our Centre Director is a Director of both the Plymouth Business Improvement District board and the Growth Board. We pride ourselves on our involvement in the local community and feel that this participation is integral to Drake Circus.

This is reflected in our focus on charitable involvement and we are delighted to support four charities, selected on an annual basis and voted for by our centre team. This year, our four chosen charities are Macmillan, Andy’s Man Club, Woodside Animal Sanctuary and Plymouth Domestic Abuse Services.

Drake Circus is proud to be a member of the Improving Lives 110 Club, which supports those with disabilities and long-term illnesses, as well as their carers. We’re also proud to get involved with a number of city-wide and national events; last year, we hosted a Pride event with our community partners and retailers providing information, craft activities and glitter makeovers in the week running up to the event on Plymouth Hoe. We also host Dementia Action Week in the centre every year, and supported Purple Tuesday as a centre for the first time in 2019. In addition to this, we have worked with our retailers to host a monthly Sensory Shopping event the first Saturday of every month since 2017, where music is turned off and lights are dimmed where possible.

A number of the Drake Circus team are trained in Adult Mental Health First Aid, in order to recognise the signs of mental health and help people find the support they need to stay well.

Drake Circus also participates in the ‘Bright Lights Starting Out in Retail and Hospitality’ programme, in conjunction with The Source and World Host. The five-week training programme equips local people with great customer service skills and combines nationally recognised qualifications with work experience. In order to support the programme, we teamed up with a number of our retailers to provide these placements, including Boots, Cotswold, Monsoon, The Entertainer and Starbucks.

Last updated Wednesday 19 July, 2023