Mill Moves In As Turkeys Move Out

While we bask in the sunshine of a very cold morning here on the fringes of Dartmoor, it’s difficult to believe that only a few weeks ago we were seeing the devastation caused by widespread flooding across the country.

Calders, our wonderful weavers in Hebden Bridge endured total destruction of their mill. While they lost everything, we lost the fab cloth they had woven for our new range of woolly bags – both for Waitrose and twool HQ.

 

When Kathryn called us emotionally on Monday 27th to tell us the news, we felt completely helpless. Being so far away in Devon, how could we possibly help? Little did we know that the brilliant team over at Dartmoor Search and Rescue Team Ashburton had already gathered resources and were on their way up to Yorkshire to help with the disaster.

Kathryn has sent us a poignant reminder of how catastrophic this event was, both for their business and the local community.

 

Meanwhile, inside, the extent of the damage is apparent…

 

This is not a story of doom and gloom for the loom though…! As a phoenix from the ash, so Calders use turkeys to rise from the flood…

The good news is that turkeys ARE just for Christmas and a disused turkey farm above Hebden Bridge is being transformed into the new mill. True Yorkshire folk, through and through, their resilience and strength of character has shone as the recovery operation continues…

Here is a reminder of how such a beautiful place can be destroyed by nature:

As we write this, we are so overjoyed about the news that Calders will be weaving for us again in as little as a couple of weeks! Albeit in their new mill, high above the river. While it is sad that their original mill has been lost, we celebrate the heritage skills and creativity that have been preserved, to allow textile manufacturing in this country to continue.