Plaque to Honour Long-Standing Trustee of WJ Mills Cottages Trust

Plaque to honour Lizzie Wilson unveiled this month

Monday 8th September will see the unveiling of a new plaque at the WJ Mills Cottages Trust, one of the largest almshouses in the West Country. The event will recognise Lizzie Wilson, who has chaired the charity for the past seven years and served as a trustee since 1980.

Lizzie is the great granddaughter of the Trust’s founder, William John Mills, and has been central to continuing his legacy. The plaque will be officially unveiled by Nick Phillips, Chief Executive of the Almshouse Association, which supports more than 1,600 independent almshouse charities across the UK.

Lizzie’s family ties to the Trust

“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,” says Lizzie.

“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 as chair, having also led the organisation through the 1990s and into the early 2000s. Her father, also William John Mills, chaired the Trust for 40 years and introduced a major modernisation programme. Lizzie has continued this ethos and overseen the addition of eight new dwellings.

📷Mills, WJ (portrait by his son TR Mills)

National recognition

“I am honoured to be invited to this great event,” says Nick Phillips, CEO 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.”

Remembering WJ Mills

The first William John Mills, born in 1855, left St Day at a young age and went on to become a successful businessman, establishing the Duchess of Devonshire Dairy. Despite his success, he never forgot his roots, donating to local causes in Cornwall including 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.”

📷Mills Street

About the Trust

The story of the WJ Mills Cottages Trust began in 1930, when William John Mills bought 28 mining cottages in what was then Simmons Street for “the old people of St Day for their benefit and comfort,” as recorded on an earlier plaque. In 1933, on Feast Day, the street was renamed Mills Street and the charitable trust established under the guidance of his son, Thomas Richards Mills.

Lizzie is the fourth generation to lead the charity, supported by a team of trustees including her cousin, also a descendant of the Mills family. Today, the Trust provides 43 homes for people in housing need in the community.

More information about the Trust can be found at wjmillscottagestrust.org.uk

📷Lizzie Wilson