Actress and presenter Joanna Lumley OBE will be cutting the ribbon on the development to herald a new era for Morpeth shoppers.

The TV personality was recently awarded the Most Inspiring Public Figure Award in the Pride of Britain ceremony for her tireless campaign for Gurkhas' rights.

She is best known for her roles in The New Avengers and Absolutely Fabulous, in which her character had a passion for fashion and shopping.
Miss Lumley will be invited to unveil a plaque in the Morpeth mall's new piazza next Thursday.

Managing Director of arcade developers Dransfield Properties and Morpeth II Mark Dransfield said: "We are delighted to be announcing that Joanna Lumley is opening the new arcade. She's already told us that she is really looking forward to seeing Sanderson Arcade and doing a bit of Christmas shopping while she's here.

"Everything is coming together for the opening day now. We are delighted with how the arcade looks and we hope everyone who visits will be impressed with the high standard of architecture."

Work started on the £32m development in July last year. It offers 90,000 sq ft of retail space, high specification offices, a new car park and a bus interchange.

Work will start next spring on the second phase to relocate Morpeth Comrades Club.

Businesses at the centre include Marks and Spencer, Laura Ashley, New Look, Fat Face, Lakeland, Crew Clothing, Lily Rose Flowers, Oxley's of Morpeth, Jazz, Lemon Accessories, Paperchase, Waterstones, The Body Shop, the Jewellers Guild, Advanced Nutrition, Yeoman's, Central Bean, CC, Clarks, Vision Express, O2, Sky, Martin McColl, Ladbrokes and Timpsons.