Stockland and celebrity chef Miguel Maestre share some unexpected joy with Sydney shoppers
Christmas is the season for togetherness, but for many it can also be a lonely time, with over 500,000 Australians1 expected to spend the festive season alone this year – perhaps they are an overseas student, recently relocated to Australia without family or have a partner who has to work.
Celebrity TV chef and cookbook author, Miguel Maestre, believes everyone should have somewhere to go on Christmas. To inspire people to connect with others and share some joy, the Living Room presenter today hosted an unexpected and ‘joy-filled’ lunch for 30 shoppers at Sydney’s Stockland Wetherill Park Shopping Centre.
The event is part of a national campaign which sees all 40 Stockland shopping centres from as far north as Cairns in Queensland to as far west as Baldivis in Western Australia, work with local community organisations to connect customers with events in their area to attend or volunteer their time for a more social Christmas.
Miguel Maestre said: “Community spirit and spending time with others is the most important part of Christmas.
“I’m really excited to be part of this campaign, as I know first-hand what it’s like to be alone at Christmas. When I was in my early twenties, I moved to Scotland to further my career and to learn English. It was an exciting time, but it was also lonely without my family and friends.”
“Australia is such a fantastic country at Christmas, but it can be isolating if you have no one to share it with. I hope that Stockland’s Christmas campaign inspires Aussies to think about someone in their local community who might be alone this year and reach out to invite them to their lunch. After all, like food, Christmas is better when shared!”
Glenn Page, Stockland Wetherill Park Centre Manager, said, “At Stockland Wetherill Park we believe that Christmas is a time when everyone should have a place to belong - that’s why we want to bring to the fore the importance of connecting with others in the local community at this time of year.”
With 7.6 million customer visits every year2, Stockland Wetherill Park is not only a centre but the heart of our community, offering great food and experiences that help to bring people together at Christmas.”
To spread joy even further, Stockland has also partnered with Mission Australia as an option for customers wishing to donate to help give families a safe and secure home this Christmas. Stockland has also committed $25,000 to the Mission Australia Christmas Appeal.
For customers who might be moved to invite an old friend, new neighbour or family member they haven’t seen in a while to their own Christmas table, Stockland has over 1,000 limited edition invitations available. Customers can reserve their pack of four invitations from www.stockland.com.au/christmas and pick up their pack from Centre Management.
Stockland’s Christmas video, Share Some Unexpected Joy, can be viewed at: www.stockland.com.au/christmas and on Stockland’s YouTube channel www.youtube.com/stockland
To find out the full list of Christmas activities at your local Stockland centre this Christmas, visit www.stockland.com.au
1 McCrindle Aussie Sentiment Survey
2 Stockland Wetherill Park Moving Annual Turnover (MAT)
