Today is one of the greatest days in the history of the City of Birmingham. It is officially one year since the opening of my kitchen extension, The Mosquito Wing, by The Lord Mayor of Birmingham. A thread. (1/10)

In March 2019 I emailed the office of The Lord Mayor Yvonne Mosquito asking if she would open my kitchen extension. (2/10)

Her people said no because it is a private event and she doesn’t do private events. And also presumably because it’s a kitchen extension. (3/10)

Furious, I suggested that perhaps I could make it a public event, raffle off tickets to members of the public to join, and give the proceeds to the Lord Mayor’s charity. She agreed and the event was set. Thousands of people applied to win just four tickets. (4/10)

I met the winners in a nearby pub for a pint and then to protect the location of my house they were blindfolded, had their phones confiscated, and were driven to the event. (5/10)

Then the Lord Mayor came and opened my kitchen. She cut a ribbon, made a speech, unveiled the plaque, and stayed for drinks and canapés. You can watch the whole live stream here. (6/10)

Many local and international celebrities attended, including @kathbum, @LloydGriffith (who sang the national anthem, @nickowentv, @BeccyWoodTV, @BarbaraNice but sadly not @PaulChuckle2 as he was on holiday. (7/10)

Oh and @Shefali_oza local did the weather on @bbcmtd live from the kitchen. You can watch that here. (8/10)

We raised £3000 and later that year I presented a massive cheque to the Mayor outside the town hall. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/uk-england-birmingham-49157683 (9/10)

Thank you for reading and may I wish you a very Happy Mosquito Wing Day. (10/10)