A Woodford Green drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre unveiled a �280,000 extension last Friday (December 9) which will mean it can double the number of people it helps.

Iain Duncan Smith, the MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, visited the centre’s extra counselling rooms and unveiled a plaque with its users.

Mr Duncan Smith is the patron of One North East London, the charity which runs an abstinence based treatment programme at the building in The Broadway.

Visitors toured a large counselling room which will allow professionals to make PowerPoint presentations to drug and alcohol addicts who enter the centre’s programme.

A smaller counselling room will be used to support young people affected by parental addiction.

Addicts from Redbridge agree to daily visits to the centre for a minimum of two weeks and it currently helps over 200 people a year including young people and relatives drawn from a larger catchment area.

Clinical manager Jo Blackledge said: “The extension means we can double the amount of people we see.

“We had to fundraise to get the money.

“The first lot of builders went bust which meant the cost increased to around �280,000 because of retendering.

“We had support from service users, local businesses and local charitable trusts.”

A group of people who have been through the day programme did a parachute jump to raise money.

They made their donation in the name of another centre user who died called Scott and a plaque dedicated to him was unveiled.

All Saints’ Church in Inmans Row, Woodford Green, contributed to the fundraising total along with trusts including the Charles S French Charitable Trust in Loughton, The Henry Smith Charity and The Tudor Trust.

Mrs Blackledge praised the contributions of Mr Duncan Smith to the charity.

She said: “He is a voice in Parliament that understands about abstinence.”

Chris Cummins, the Mayor of Redbridge and council leader Keith Prince also attended.