A new generation of millwrights scale new heights!
A new generation of millwrights are well on their way to helping restore some of the Norfolk Broads most beautiful landmarks, thanks to Lottery funding. Since 1994 The National Lottery has invested over £2 million to restore 16 windmills across the East of England, and an additional £7 million of Lottery money has funded a bursary programme, which has revitalised traditional skills across the UK from sedge cutting to millwrighting.
To celebrate this, trainee Jake Wilder (who at 22 is one of the youngest millwrights in the country) and his colleagues are putting the finishing touches to the picturesque Polkey’s Mill near Reedham Ferry with the temporary addition of some modern decorations – giant Lottery balls! The art of millwrighting - maintaining and restoring windmills and drainage mills - was a dying profession until the Lottery-funded Broads Authority Bursary Project set out to find new talent to learn the ropes from the last remaining three millwrights in the area.
“And we did quite literally learn the ropes,” explains Jake from Norwich. “I always loved the Broads as a child but never imagined I’d have the chance to work so closely with some of its most iconic buildings. One of the most interesting and terrifying things I’ve learnt as part of the training was rope access so we could repaint the windmills we’ve been working on. I’ve never been great with heights but once I’d abseiled down a 21-metre mill my fear of heights disappeared!”
The special millwrighting event is part of a UK-wide roadshow campaign, which aims to bring to life the diverse range of projects that benefit from the £25 million raised for Good Causes by Lottery players each week. Giant Lottery balls will be popping up at various locations around the region during the week, so local residents can see how Lottery funding benefits their area. Look out for them at The Forum in Norwich, Gymnastics In Ipswich (a gymnastics centre for the whole community), Stockwood Discovery Centre in Luton, Bedford Creative Arts and on the Chelmer and Blackwater navigation in Chelmsford.
Rebecca Neale from The National Lottery explains: “We think it’s important that Lottery players know about all the fantastic projects, both in their region and across the UK, that are made possible thanks to the money they help raise each week. We hope that the millwright’s story, and the giant Lottery balls at Polkey’s Mill and at other projects across the region, will help make people more aware of how Lottery funding has benefited their local community.”
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Ten Lottery funding facts you might not know:
1. Each week, Lottery players raise £25 million for Good Causes across the UK
2. Last year alone, more than £81 million was invested in projects in the East of England
3. More than 19,300 grants have been awarded to projects both big and small across the East of England since the Lottery began
4. The Lottery is 15 this year! The first Lottery draw was on 19 November 1994
5. Since its launch in 1994, more than £22 billion has been raised for Good Causes
6. Over 300,000 Lottery grants have been given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment since 1994. But they all have one thing in common, they make a positive difference to communities across the region, helping the lives of local people and improving the places they enjoy
7. Over half of all Lottery grants are for under £5,000, helping local projects make a big difference to people in their communities
8. Since the Lottery began in 1994, over £1 billion has been raised for projects that support people’s health and wellbeing
9. A total of 436 Olympic and Paralympic medals have been won by athletes funded by the Lottery, with Beijing 2008 being Team GB’s best medal haul for 100 years
10. Over £10 billion of National Lottery funding has gone to projects that benefit children and young people
For more information/photography please contact: Lynsey Barry at the Red Consultancy on 020 7025 6593 or email: lynsey.barry@redconsultancy.com
