The Orchards’ shopping centre manager celebrates ten years in Haywards Heath

Nicola Bird, whose ten-year anniversary at the shopping centre is on April 23, said she enjoys the variety and challenges her role offers and is happy The Orchards has gone from strength to strength under her watch.

She told the Middy that the centre was ‘a very different place’ when she started her role, having been ‘headhunted’ from Lakeside Shopping Centre in West Thurrock.

“It had eight vacant units,” said Nicola, 45, who also felt the centre did not offer enough for people to do.

“We quickly changed that,” she said, adding that she devised an itinerary with the goal of creating a Haywards Heath hub and making the town a unique ‘place to be’.

“Slowly but surely over the years the units filled,” said Nicola, explaining that ‘dwell time’ also increased thanks to the marquee on the green.

The Orchards team has also raised over £50,000 for various charities since Nicola took over.

Nicola said the challenges of running the centre are endless with cleaning being a big one thanks to the centre’s pre-pandemic footfall of 5.5 million people a year.

She said building the right team was a challenge as well.

“You want a team that will go above and beyond their job description and love the place like their own,” she said.

But she said her security officer and duty manager Daren Cheesman is ‘phenomenal’ and praised the work of new caretaker Leigh Batchelor.

Daren, who has worked with Nicola for eight years, called her ‘an inspiring person who pours so much love and passion into the centre’.

“Her devotion also stretches beyond the centre and into the community, helping wherever she possibly can,” he added.

He congratulated Nicola on her ten-year anniversary.

Nicola loves working in Haywards Heath and said: “People on the whole are just lovely and the businesses are great.”

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