Bromley shoppers beat the January blues on National Bubble Wrap Apreciation Day

Just popping round the shops took on a new meaning when a centre had a special corner for bubble wrap enthusiasts.

The Glades Shopping Centre did just that to help Bromley beat the January blues.

Just a few days ago, those who were feeling like January had made their zen feel off-kilter popped to The Glades to celebrate National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day for some unconventional stress-relieving fun.

The Glades rolled out all the stops, with its pop-up bubble-wrapped room conveniently called ‘Pop’, which was free to visit for some much-needed rest and relaxation.

The bubble-bursting skills of the over 18s were put to the test, with treats up for grabs, and a high-tech Stress-o-Meter enabled guests to see just how much squishing air-filled sheets helped to put the pep back in their step.

Pop featured biodegradable bubble wrap, with all the materials from the event either being recycled or repurposed by Terracycle, a specialist recycling company which takes care of unusual materials, which The Glades worked with for the event.

National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day was started by a US radio station in 2001 and has been celebrated on the last Monday of January since then.

Mark Haynes, director of The Glades, said: “January is often a tricky month to navigate with festive celebrations being a distant memory, poor weather ruining umbrella after umbrella and having the longest wait for pay day.
“To combat this, we encouraged people to literally take things into their own hands, with a relaxing and fun session puncturing packaging at The Glades.

“Our Pop room offered visitors the opportunity to leave all their worries at the door and have a stress-busting time through the healing medium of this much-loved wrapping.
“A lot of the time, it’s the simplest pleasures in life that can turn a dull day into something positively unforgettable.

“We are pleased that we were able to help the people of Bromley get re-energised and full of beans again.”

Pictured top: Visitors’ bubble bursting was rewarded with treats.