We opened to the public for Heritage Open Days on 14 & 15 September. The HOD theme this year was Routes, Networks, Connections so we had displays in our gazebo showing how the mill related to other industries and the modes of transport involved, with some of the relevant finds on display including the human skull bone found on site.

Also new for this event were five signs along the riverside track with snippets of information about the river and the wildlife in and around it, to make walkers journeys more interesting, several visitors told us they enjoyed looking at them.

We had Lego type models left over from the May open days D Day anniversary displays, they were offered to visitors on Saturday, some of the younger visitors played with them, then gave donations so they could keep them.

We had our water wheel turning again, this is always an impressive sight. We put the model mill on display, this shows how the mill looked in its working days. Slideshows of the mill restoration were playing on the screens in the visitor centre.

We served tea, coffee and cold drinks from our railway wagon kitchen, we used the table which Howard gave us last week for the sausage rolls, biscuits and home made cakes, with a selection of gluten free options.

Ryan has recently bought a 1955 vintage tractor which he took to the open days, towing a roller to level the track where we worked on it a while ago. The tractor was put on show, where it generated interest from young and old visitors, one of whom used to drive a similar tractor on farms.

There were lots of dogs visiting over both days, several went into the river for a swim, we had drinking bowls and dog biscuits for them. Our trailer with seats took some visitors between the mill and car park. Walkers were also able to join us from the Nar Valley Way by crossing our footbridge, so we put banners and bunting on the bridge.

Following an interview last Thursday with Judy Bates of KL Magazine, the KL photographer, Ian Ward visited early on Saturday to take pictures of the mill for the article about the bone mill which should be in the November issue.

The open days were well attended with around 180 visitors, a lot have signed up to our newsletters. We had very positive feedback from visitors who left a review on the HOD website from the cards we gave out. Our next open days will be on 10 & 11 May 2025.

Anyone interested in volunteering with us can read our volunteering article and the latest blogs to see what you could get involved with and Contact Us. We are on site most Thursdays and you can cross our footbridge from the Nar Valley Way to look around.

Graham Bartlett              May Open Days        HOD 2023        Theme Displays         Riverside Signs        Volunteer        Blog 19/9/24      Feedback