THE unveiling of a new plaque to honour the chair of a Cornwall almshouse takes place on Monday, September 8.

Lizzie Wilson, who has been heading the WJ Mills Cottages Trust for the last seven years, but serving as a trustee since 1980, is the great granddaughter of trust founder, William John Mills.

The plaque is being officially unveiled by Nick Phillips, chief executive of the Almshouse Association, an umbrella organisation supporting over 1,600 independent almshouse member charities across the country.

Lizzie said: “I feel very proud, not just of what we achieve today, but of my great grandfather who saw the desperate need in 1930 for housing in his birth village which had become impoverished after the collapse of the tin-mining industry.

“He bought 28 cottages in what is now known as Mills Street and set us on our path. Today, we have 43 properties including easy-access bungalows which we built 16 years ago for residents with restricted mobility.”

This is Lizzie’s second spell in the chair, spearheading the organisation for most of the 1990s and into the new millennium. Her father, also William John Mills, chaired the charity for 40 years and oversaw a major modernisation programme. Lizzie has continued that ethos as well as overseeing the addition of eight new dwellings.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Lizzie is the fourth generation to run the charity and is ably supported by a strong team of trustees which includes a cousin also descended from the Mills line.

“I am honoured to be invited to this great event”, said Nick Philips of the Almshouse Association. “Housing is a basic foundation for a stable life and almshouse charities such as this have been providing a warm, secure home in a community of good neighbours for nearly 100 years.

“Almshouses are a unique form of community housing that are led by generous philanthropists like WJ Mills and the fact that his great granddaughter continues his legacy through the decades of hard work is a testament to the family’s generosity of spirit, the value of almshouses and the need for this charity.”

The first William John Mills, affectionately known as ‘WJ’, was born in 1855 and left St Day at a young age and became a successful businessman, finally establishing the Duchess of Devonshire Dairy. However, he never forgot his roots, making several other donations in St Day and to other local causes, including the provision of a village hall and playing field in Carharrack.

“I would love to have met him”, says Lizzie. “He was clearly a generous man with a big heart. I try to run the charity in his spirit and I’m always heartened by the wonderful feedback we get from our residents.”

Almshouses are a charitable form of self-sufficient, low-cost community housing that is held in trust for local people in housing need. They are managed and run by almshouse charities made up of local volunteers. 36,000 people are currently living full and independent lives in around 1,600 independent almshouse charities in the UK.