Dr Neil Hudson MP for Penrith and The Border visited the Rheged Centre in Penrith to celebrate its re-opening last week.    

The Rheged centre in Penrith is one of the largest visitor attractions in Cumbria. The centre opened in 2000 on the site of the former Redhill's Limekilns, some of which are still incorporated into the building design today. The unique facility includes a 60-foot cinema screen, a 100-seat cafe, exhibition rooms, as well as a range of shops and a deli selling locally- produced and handmade products.  

As part of his visit, Neil Hudson was given a tour of the facility and had the opportunity to discuss the issues the centre had faced following its closure in March with Sarah Dunning, Chairman of Westmorland Ltd. On his tour, Neil was shown new renovations carried out on site, as well as Rheged's centrepiece six-storey high cinema screen, the biggest 3D cinema in the Northwest. Neil also met with the centre's operations manager, Kurt North, to discuss the Covid-secure measures the attraction had adopted to keep their visitors safe. The centre has also recently opened the 6th Great Print Exhibition, a bespoke annual celebration of the art of Print making. 

Sarah Dunning stated "It was a great privilege to welcome Neil to the centre to see what we have achieved in this difficult year. We are delighted to see our customers back to visit our new cafe, our print exhibition in our gallery and to do some Christmas shopping. We're lucky that Rheged has the space to create a really safe environment for customers."   

Following his visit, Neil said "I am delighted to see Penrith's fantastic Rheged Centre re-opening after closing in March due to the pandemic. Sarah and her team have worked very hard in configuring the centre and ensuring it is safe for returning visitors. I urge people to visit the centre, shop, have something to eat, visit the Exhibition or take a trip the cinema for a showing of one of the Christmas films."