Gayle Mill trust receives conservation grant from the National Park

Cultura Trust has received a £2,500 grant from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Sustainable Development Fund to support its historic Gayle Mill, a nationally significant asset in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

The grant directly contributes to conservation work at the mill as part of the historic natural water power system, the crafts upon which the mill depends and, planning ahead, how the mill can contribute to climate action in the context of UK targets and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

In receiving the funds, The chair of Hawes and High Abbotside Parish Council and Richmondshire District councillor Jill McMullon commented: “Gayle Mill is very much a part of our local history and it will be amazing to have it restored back to a working mill. In such difficult times it’s lovely to have such good news and we look forward to see its progress and eventual completion.”

This local support from the Sustainable Development Fund is important for the practical action it has funded but, in addition, it also has enabled Cultura to unlock national grants to be invested in a more comprehensive programme of work at the mill and activities for volunteers in anticipation of reopening to the public. The grant has specifically helped towards works on and around the headrace, and preparing COVID-safe access.

Graham Bell, Director of Cultura Trust, said: “The Sustainable Development Fund grant is a much appreciated means of support from the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, with whom Cultura has worked for almost 25 years. Revival of the water power system for operational purposes was extremely rare when we began in the 1990s. Now, many people are aware of climate issues and want to help, so Gayle Mill is updating its role, where history and sustainability work hand-in-hand.”

Stuart Parsons, who is currently managing Gayle Mill, said: “Mills have been at the heart of communities for centuries; they have literally been the bread of life and engines of rural economies. Gayle Mill has moved with the times in four successive centuries, which is a pretty good definition of sustainable development!”

Member Champion for Sustainable Development at the Yorkshire Dales NPA, Carl Lis, said: “The Sustainable Development Fund supports local initiatives that help conserve cultural heritage. Gayle Mill has always used a locally available resource – the water in the beck – to create power. Today we would now describe that as ‘sustainable’. For generations it was a way of life that literally came naturally. We are pleased this grant has helped Gayle Mill to keep that tradition alive.”