Mother’s Kitchen raising money to re-open Parkside Centre

Mother’s Kitchen, on Felmores End, Pitsea, is looking to raise £5,000 to help refurbish the Parkside Centre, just outside Northlands Park, after winning the lease late last year. 

Once a refurbishment is carried out, the Mother’s Kitchen Community Group is hoping to create a community space to support residents of all ages and run activities from fitness classes to arts and crafts.  

The building has been out of use since 2017. 

Mother’s Kitchen is already a major part of the Pitsea community, handing out free Christmas dinners, hosting a youth club every Friday and supporting vulnerable residents. 

Stuart Terson, one of four directors, called on residents to donate and said every pound will make a “huge difference”.

Mother’s Kitchen – Directors of Mother’s Kitchen Community Group Stuart Terson (L), Mustafa Salih (centre left), with Basildon MP Richard Holden (centre right) and Mother’s Kitchen co-owner Ozzy Salih (Image: Stuart Terson)

He added they will imminently be signing a 10-year lease for the centre, and the full extent of the project’s cost will not be clear until they find out how much it will cost to reconnect the electrical supply to the building.

Stuart said: “We won the lease just before Christmas and were delighted, we’re just waiting now to sign off on it. We launched the fundraiser to pay for the centre’s refurb, it needs quite a bit of work to get it up to modern standards for a community centre.

“The plan is to be open for any age group. Mother’s Kitchen’s owners have allowed us to use their café as our premises, it will be great to have a home to call our own. It’s been a long journey to get to this point, we’re just waiting to sign the 10-year lease and see what the future holds.

“Any amount you can contribute counts, whether it’s £1 or £100. People do feel like they only have a little bit to give and question how much difference it will make, it makes a huge difference and every single pound will make an impact.”

He added the building needs a new floor, paint job, furniture, and its electrics rewired.
Stuart believes the final cost of the renovations will rise above the £5,000 goal they have set, but hopes to help alleviate the cost with his expertise as a handyman.

The Parkside Centre was last occupied by Essex Media Workshop but has laid empty since they closed in 2017.

Mother’s Kitchen Community Group is headed up by four directors, including Mother’s Kitchen owner Mustafa Salih, Stuart Terson, Stephanie Holder, and Lisa Hamilton.
Visit crowdfunder.co.uk/p/parkside-centre-refurbishment