IT HAS been a demanding yet exciting year for Churchill Square Shopping Centre, according to centre manager Mark Buchanan-Smith.

I AM PRETTY sure that just a short time ago, we were ringing in 2019, yet here we are on the cusp of welcoming another new year.

When I began writing for The Argus in January, I spoke of the challenges facing the retail industry and how it was imperative for shopping centres, brands and businesses alike to become more agile and sustainable.

For my final musings, I’ll be taking a look back at how this theme has developed and some of the key learnings that will shape how we move forward into the next decade.

It has been an incredibly fast-paced 12 months at Churchill Square, and I would certainly describe it as “standout”.

This is due to the fact that as a business we have stepped things up a notch in terms of being bolder about getting behind the social issues, causes and initiatives that mean something to us.

We ousted plastic bags from the shopping centre and replaced them with a green alternative on World Environment Day and organised beach cleans, which saw us receiving one of three accolades at the Green Apple Environment Awards.

The other two being for eco-friendly changes made to our operations and maintenance practices.

It has been so enriching to educate ourselves further in this field and it’s also exposed us to other phenomenal sustainability projects that have been running throughout the city that we hadn’t been aware of previously.

One being Fareshare Sussex, which tackles deep poverty within the community and sends thousands of food parcels to the most vulnerable each and every week, while also making great efforts in combatting food waste.

The organisation helps redistribute hundreds of tonnes of food each year, which is the equivalent of more than a million meals.

These eye-opening statistics really make you sit up and rethink how we can all try harder to make conscious efforts to be more in tune with our behaviour and what it means to be sustainable in business, our home life and beyond.

Bear with me on this next point but, one of my favourite times of year is when the students return after the summer.

They bring a certain energy and contribute huge value to Brighton’s economy, services and industries.

There’s limitless potential with the skill sets, ambition, knowledge and drive of the tens of thousands of undergrads that live and study here.

Sussex University alone brings in an extra £343 million a year and supports 5,180 jobs in Brighton and Hove, East and West Sussex, so I’m intrigued to see what the new decade will bring in terms of sustaining and nurturing this expertise and talent long after graduation.

The inaugural Design Brighton Festival in April is something of great interest to me, too. Four days of inspiring talks, debates and showcases are promised, which will focus on the city’s heritage, current opportunities and what the future holds.

We’ll be seeing urban design at its revolutionary best and how we all play a part in shaping how places and spaces can better meet our needs and still serve a purpose and offer inspiration to the next generations.

There’s so much to look forward in 2020, with regeneration projects coming to fruition across the city such as Sea Lanes Brighton, which is set to be the UK’s first-ever, national centre of excellence for open-water swimming.

There are so many sides to the sustainability coin and I’m committed to delving further into this area and identifying opportunities for Churchill Square to explore.

If 2019 was the year of impactful conversations about future-proofing our city and world, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Finally, I’d like to say “thank you” to everyone who has read and enjoyed this column. Your support for Churchill Square is so greatly appreciated. Happy Christmas and New Year to you all.