New Kitchen Unveiled at Reach Opportunity Centre in Somerset

The Reach Opportunity Centre is in Lower Weare. It helps adults with learning disabilities daily. They opened a new kitchen on February 14th. It is a semi-commercial kitchen.

Over forty guests attended the opening. Anne Thatcher, from the Thatcher Foundation, was the guest of honor. The center expressed their gratitude to everyone, including donors, staff, and students.

The center believes the kitchen is important. They think skills will grow there, confidence will increase, and it will help shape futures.

Fundraising started back in 2018. The initial goal was ten thousand pounds. The Thatcher Foundation gave twenty-five hundred. COVID-19 stopped the building at one point.

They changed the kitchen plans and chose to expand the current kitchen. This was better than moving it elsewhere.

Fundraising continued after COVID slowed construction. Construction began in summer 2024 and finished in mid-January 2025. The kitchen will create new chances for students, and Reach Opportunity can now cook fresh lunches every day.