THE festive season at intu Uxbridge will be one to remember for 2016, as shoppers headed to the centre to make it a record breaking year.

Thousands of shoppers made their trip to the shopping centre for the Christmas Experience, meeting Santa along the way.

Children collected their passports for £4, following the festive zones around the centre before stopping at the Gingerbread House, through passport control and meeting Santa to tell him what was on their Christmas list.

In total, the Christmas Experience raised £4,815.69, which will be split equally between intu Uxbridge’s chosen charities, Rainbow Trust and Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

Each of the charities also took part in intu Uxbridge’s Charity Wrapping service, with Rainbow Trust raising £2,900 and CRY raising £2,095, including £1,000 donated to each charity by Barclays Bank in Uxbridge

Shoppers in Uxbridge also favoured their shopping in the week leading up to the big day, with hundreds of thousands of shoppers welcomed.

The sales were also popular, with shopper visits up 4.5% in the first week after Christmas, compared to 2015.

There was also plenty of time to get all the presents on the gift lists ticked off, as intu Uxbridge extended their opening hours throughout December, as well as offered parking for just £1 after 6pm.

“What fabulous Christmas fun we had in 2016!” said intu Uxbridge marketing manager Natasha House.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who visited us and the Christmas Experience in December, raising such a huge amount for our two fantastic charities.

“2017 is set to be an exciting year ahead, and we can’t wait to welcome all our shoppers again soon.”

For more information on events, news and shopping at intu Uxbridge, visit www.intu.co.uk/Uxbridge.