Makeover for hall kitchen

A small Suffolk village turned out on mass to celebrate its newly refurbished community kitchen.

St James South Elmham had secured thousands of pounds in funding during more than two years of hard fought campaigning to replace the old facility.

Dozens of villagers joined with councillors, contractors and Waveney MP Peter Aldous to celebrate its official reopening at the village hall on Saturday.

Project leader Jane Bastow thanked those who helped fund the project, including Viridor, the waste management company, and Adnams.

“It’s been a long road but with perseverance, we have finally reached our goal,” she said.

Thanks were also paid to contractors Wren Kitchens, E Quantrill Electrical Services and Wright Installations, who attended the celebration.

Area installation manager Rob Fruin, said: “It was a pleasure to do something for the community.”

Suffolk county councillor Sandy Martin, on the Viridor steering group, explained the kitchen would be one of the last projects to benefit from the Wangford landfill site, which was winding down.

“It’s great the landfill is benefiting these projects but it’s also great that the amount of waste is reducing as people recycle more,” he added.

Mr Aldous said the new kitchen had come out “extremely well” and highlighted the importance of village halls, which were the “heart of the community”.

David Ritchie, the local county councillor, said village halls were an important part of “keeping communities together”.