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Page 7

Newsletter 98, Autumn 2012  © Hampshire Mills Group

Mills section of the SPAB

With the two courses being run this autumn you can cover every aspect of flour production from selecting grain to conditioning and milling it – this takes place at the renowned Little Salkeld Mill in the Eden Valley, Cumbria – and learn all the aspects of mill maintenance and operation, whether it be wind or water driven, in a day of lectures by various well known millers and millwrights being given at Watlington House in Reading.  The dates are:

Sept 21st  Practical Flour Milling at Little Salkeld Watermill. Owners Nick and Ana Smith run courses covering every aspect of bread production from selecting grain to baking hand made loaves and are members of the Traditional Cornmillers Guild: www.tcmg.org.uk/  and won coveted medals in the Soil Association Organic Food Awards 2010 & Cumbria Life Food&Drink 2012for their 100% Stoneground Biodynamic Flour. See  website: www.organicmill.co.uk and  video  https://vimeo.com/38024798

Oct 19th Course Looking after your mill at the  Mills Archive Trust in Reading, Berkshire.   Mildred Cookson heads an impressive list of experienced speakers who will help you understand the needs of the traditional mill in its day to day maintenance and working.   

The SPAB Mills Section Autumn Meeting will be at held on November 10th at Leicester University and the theme will be Mills of the Midlands.  Tickets cost £50.00.  More info & booking at www.spab.org.uk/spab-mills  Email: millsinfo@spab.org.uk   website: www.spab.org.uk   tel: 020 7456 0909

 

 

Jubilations at the Mills Archives, M. B. E.

An unexpected bonus to cause a double celebration at the Garden Party, held to acknowledge ten successful years of the Mills Archive Trust’s existence, was the awarding of an M.B.E. to Ron Cookson for his steadfast, enthusiastic and firm belief in the need for such an organisation.  Ron has steered a steady course along the bumpy road of officialdom, waded through interminable piles of Heritage Lottery Fund forms, dreamt up all sorts of ideas for ways to develop the Archives which has become recognised internationally, as well as nationally, as the foremost research organ for all aspects of molinology. (Television programme researchers use the Archives resources too.) On being interviewed by the BBC, Ron immediately paid tribute to the army of volunteers for making it all possible, saying that the award had been earned by the team and not just the one person.  However, if that one person had not spent the better part of each day and night for the last ten years on what he had initially seen as ‘a project, something to do on retirement’ the Mills Archive would not be the success it is today.  News headlines proclaiming: “MBE for the Man Who Wants to Save Windmills” raised a laugh at the Archives as Ron is renowned for making it clear he has nothing whatsoever to do with mills himself, and the point of the Archives had been missed by the media.

About fifty people came to celebrate with us at Watlington House in July and witnessed Ron cutting the superb cake made and decorated with the Mills Archive Trust symbol in icing sugar by regular volunteer, Elizabeth Trout. Our latest volunteer has been recruited to create sites for us on Facebook and Twitter – popular communications systems appealing to youngsters.  We have just learned that MAT will be featured in the ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ magazine’s September edition.   Dr Oliver Douglas from the Museum of English Rural Life nominated us; also featured are the Luke Bonwick website, Hampshire Mills Group, TIMS and MERL. For more news and the results of the Mills Archive Projects Awards see: www.millsarchive.com

 

   

Here’s the cake…….Elizabeth lighting the candles and Ron ready to blow them out and cut the first slice.
Notes and photos by Sheila.  

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