Dozens of businesses have been thanked for their vital support for The Welcome Centre in Knutsford.

The businesses attended a thankyou lunch at the centre on Longridge to acknowledge their contribution to the community hub.

The lunch was hosted by Tatton MP Esther McVey and David Briggs, Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire, and was attended by Cllr Peter Coan, the new mayor of Knutsford. The Welcome is one of the charities Cllr Coan is supporting during his year as the town’s civic head.

The Welcome was started in 1995, and offers a wide range of activities, services and support to residents of Longridge and Shaw Heath. It provides affordable, good quality, home-cooked meals from its café, and a variety of activities to suit a range of age groups and interests.

“The lunch was attended by more than 40 local businesses who have supported the Welcome Connecting Communities Centre,” said operations manager Marie Fox. “We wanted to say thank you to everyone who has supported us, as without their support we couldn't continue to be there for the community of Longridge and Shaw Heath.

 “Over the past year we have expanded our services in the community, with our new youth club, Jobcentre Plus advice drop-in and Citizens Advice Bureau, as well as our over-60s lunch club. We have an exciting new menu on offer as well as an outside buffet service. At the lunch we launched our fabulous new branding courtesy of Ultimate Creative Communications, and would like to say a big thank you to all the team.”

The Welcome chairman, Gill Weeks, said: “We want the centre to be for everyone from Longridge and Shaw Heath, and we are there to serve the community. We are thrilled the mayor has chosen us as one of his charities, and to have the continued support of the Lord Lieutenant. It was lovely to see our MP, Esther McVey, who has great interest in what we do.”

Gill thanked everyone who supports the centre, including Oliver Valves for its backing for the refurbishment of the kitchen with state-of-the-art equipment.