Theresa May opens £20,000 kitchen as Elizabeth House marks 35th anniversary

A day of celebrations has been held to mark 35 years of Elizabeth House.

The event was kicked-off with a visit by Home Secretary and Maidenhead MP Theresa May, who officially opened a new kitchen at the day centre on Friday, May 6, which cost about £20,000 to install.

The facility serves up about 30 lunches a day, on average.

Later on, about 60 supporters all met at the Station Hill facility for a birthday party to toast its success.

Stephanie Diggon, the centre’s honorary secretary, said: “We wanted to thank all of our supporters, both past and present, and we had a lot of people who had donated money and who had volunteered for cake and prosecco.

“We wanted to celebrate because we’ve done 35 years of service to the community now and when people start putting money towards a venture like this they’ve got no idea whether it will last, or not.

“So it was really nice for all of them to see that we’re flourishing and helping people in the community.”

The milestone will be further celebrated at the centre’s Annual General Meeting on Thursday, May 26.

The event, which is scheduled to start at 7.30pm, will see a round up of the year, followed by a party for up to 60 of the facility’s volunteers.

The meeting is also expected to see the unveiling of Lady Aurelia Young, the wife of Lord George Young of Cookham, a former leader of the House of Commons, as president of Elizabeth House.

The next Elizabeth House talk is scheduled for Monday, June 13, at the Bel and the Dragon pub, in Cookham High Street.

Starting at 7pm, it will be led by Dr Scot McKendrick on the subject of Magna Carta.