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News
Students Win Big In Merrion Centre’s Biggest Freshers Giveaway
Thu 01 Oct, 2026
Over £15,000 worth of prizes won as four-day Freshers celebration welcomes new and returning students to Leeds
Hundreds of students from across Leeds have walked away as winners after the Merrion Centre celebrated the start of the new academic year with its biggest ever Freshers giveaway.
Held from Tuesday 22nd to Friday 25th September, the high-energy Student Cyclone Challenge welcomed new and returning students to the Merrion Centre for four days of prizes, entertainment and activity.
Over 475 students won during the event, with more than £15,000 worth of prizes, offers and experiences donated by businesses from across the Merrion Centre and its neighbours.
The activation was designed to give a memorable welcome to the Merrion Centre’s new student neighbours and introduce them to the diverse mix of shopping, food, drink, leisure and entertainment available on their doorstep.
Students making a purchase at any Merrion Centre business were invited to show their receipt before stepping inside the Cyclone – a wind chamber filled with flying balls – where they had just 20 seconds to catch a coveted red ball and win a prize.
A prize line-up packed with experiences, offers and local favourites
Prizes included VIP tickets, season passes and discounts for the recently opened MINT XL; tickets to see major artists at the first direct bank Arena; VIP Voodoo cards; and meals, passes, discounts and giveaways from destinations including Blue Sakura, Fuji Hiro, PureGym, Estabulo Leeds Arena, HYGGE, La Fiesta, 24 Laundromat, British Heart Foundation, PizzaExpress Leeds Arena, Boojum, Sing Kee and The Mini Mall.
The campaign attracted students from universities and colleges across the city, demonstrating the breadth of the Merrion Centre’s reach within Leeds’ student community.
Participants included students from the University of Leeds, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds City College, Leeds College of Building, Notre Dame College, Leeds Arts University and Leeds Trinity, alongside students from a range of other institutions.
Driving student engagement online and across Leeds
The Freshers campaign also proved popular online, with content viewed more than 150,000 times across the Merrion Centre’s social channels and further amplified through Leeds lifestyle and student platforms including Leeds+, Life in Leeds, Fresh2Death and The Hoot.
Dedicated student shopping guides and an online Student Guide also helped students discover places to shop, eat, drink and be Merrion, alongside offers available across the Merrion Centre.
James Broughton, Head of Marketing and Communications for Town Centre Securities PLC (TCS), owners of the Merrion Centre, said:
“The response to this year’s Freshers campaign was fantastic. Seeing hundreds of students getting involved in the Cyclone created a brilliant atmosphere throughout the four days and gave us a great opportunity to welcome both new and returning students.
“What made the campaign particularly special was the support from our businesses and neighbours, who donated some fantastic prizes and really got behind our ambition to give students a memorable welcome to Leeds.
“Freshers is an important time for the city, with thousands of students discovering Leeds, many for the first time. We want the Merrion Centre to become part of their experience from the moment they arrive and a place they return to throughout their time in the city.”
The campaign also coincided with encouraging daytime footfall, with visits during the activation hours increasing by 5.5% compared with the immediately preceding comparable week.
Located at the heart of Leeds’ Arena Quarter, the Merrion Centre sits alongside one of the city centre’s growing residential and student communities and within easy reach of Leeds’ major universities and colleges.
Its diverse mix of independent and national operators reflects the international make-up of the city’s student population, with everything from authentic Asian cuisine and international supermarkets to restaurants, cafés, fitness, entertainment, nightlife and essential services available within the centre.
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