What's going on at Town Mill?
Well, the simple answer is, as a heritage jewel and a community hub there's always something going at the Town Mill.
Follow our TOWN MILL DIARIES to find out the huge variety of activities that are keeping us busy here. Let's share with you what has been going on this spring.
LYME REGIS CHEF-PATRON TOM ROBINSON BRINGS LOCAL SCHOOL TO TOWN MILL AS PART OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF CULINARY ARTS "ADOPT A SCHOOL" SCHEME
As part of the Royal Academy of Culinary Art's vision for every child to learn about food in a holistic sense & to be able to eat well, Tom Robinson has done a fantastic job to realize this in Lyme Regis by participating in their "Adopt a School" scheme.
During a visit to the mill recently, youngsters from St. Michael's CE were able to learn about the "grain to loaf" story & use Town Mill's nutritious flour to make their own fantastic pizza dough back at Tom's incredible restaurant on the seafront.
An amazing opportunity for the youngsters from Coram class who were intrigued by the ancient milling process and keen to sample the freshly milled flour in its raw state.
Lots of budding chefs, millers & nutritionists spotted amongst this fantastic bunch of visitors!
A whole pile of free fun for the community at the mill this Easter
We had a great time over Easter with lots of free events for everyone to enjoy going on in the mill. Along with free entry, we set up some "creation stations" and young visitors had a go at moulding, squishing, cutting out and sculpting their own Easter salt-dough creations to take away - all made with Town Mill flour of course!
The Easter Bunny was spotted flying up through the mill's three floors on the ancient sack hoist - this was his preferred method of delivering chocolate eggs to mill visitors this year and it definitely helped everyone understand how, in ancient times, grain was transported from its delivery in the courtyard to the very top floor where it would be spread out for drying before being milled. With a system of pulleys and ropes, the hoist makes it look effortless!
THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF LYME & CHARMOUTH COMMUNITY LINKS AT TOWN MILL
Great things start with a chat! We have been delighted to work with the Dorset Social Prescribing Team from the Jurassic Coast Primary Care Network (PCN) to host a brand new service to the area called LYME & CHARMOUTH COMMUNITY LINKS. A brilliantly successful event at Town Mill which brought together over 25 local charities and community interest groups for open exchange on how we can work collaboratively and support each others aims.
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We've been actively looking at how we can support other community ventures fulfill their own visions so in March, it was great to welcome the Lyme Regis Development Trust to the mill who've been working on exactly this!
The LRDT have a rich history in fundraising and championing fantastic community projects including The Community Cafe which pops-up twice a week at The Old School House providing nutritious, affordable meals - and company - for its visitors. The fabulous cakes on offer often include our own Town Mill flour which we supply to them free-of-charge.
The LRDT team told us "we discussed the next steps for our charity in the Town Mill's "Bakehouse" room. With nothing to disturb us but the birds singing in the trees and the convivial buzz of happy clientele at Strawberry Tree restaurant below, we were able to discuss effectively the important issues for the future of our charity."
TOWN MILL SUPPORTS THE NEW LYME REGIS REPAIR CAFE
We've so enjoyed supporting the newly launched Lyme Regis Repair Café, whose mission is to reduce waste through community-driven repairs. The repair cafe aims to educate and empower individuals to fix their broken items, fostering a culture of sustainability and resourcefulness.
Based permanently at the Boat Building Academy, we've welcome the Repair Cafe members to the mill to support the project unfolding in its early stages.
With a team of skilful volunteers here at the mill which help us maintain our delicate heritage as well as the mill being a home to artisan crafts such as textiles and jewellery making, there is a obvious skills cross-over between the two organisations which creates a natural opportunity for collaboration - so we've been delighted to see a number of our volunteers leading and participating in this wonderful community initiative here in Lyme
NEWS FROM THE TOWN MILL VOLUNTEERS
APRIL 2025
In April, the Mayor of Lyme Regis, Cllr Philip Evans MBE hosted a civic night at Woodmead Halls with representatives of local organisations attending, marking the contribution community-led organisations make across this incredible town
We were delighted to send 4 representatives from our Town Mill volunteer community as a small thank you for everything they do to keep the mill wheel turning, visitors enthralled and our artisan flours being produced. A wonderful night was had by all!
MAY 2025
It was lovely to say thank you to all our Town Mill volunteers on a glorious May afternoon with delicious tea and scones at The Black Dog in Uplyme.
We enjoyed fantastic foccacia and cheese scones made with our own spelt flour - we all felt it created a superior taste!
Huge thanks to Rod and the team at Black Dog Tea Rooms and to all our fantastic volunteers - we couldn't do it without you and are so grateful for every dedicated hour you contribute to the mill.
More than anything else, it is the strength, depth and commitment of our volunteers that define the very essence of Town Mill
HIGHLIGHTS
B Sharp's Busking Festival 2025
Music brings us altogether and we had a wonderful May Saturday at Town Mill hosting some of the musicians who were part of local grass-roots youth charity 2025 Busking Festival
With music throughout the day of all types & styles, visitors to the mill enjoyed wonderful weather and fantastic entertainment.
Visitors shared their experience of the day with us :
"I sing in a band - this is our first visit to Lyme Regis and I just can't believe the experience we've had here today and the depth of the community spirit in Lyme." Dave, Fort William
"It's lovely to be down at the mill enjoying Richard's music from the swing era - it takes us back!" John, 83
Devon based artist and B Sharp alumni, Deano, finished the day here on a high, bringing the entire family - and their young vibrant energy brough some dance moves to the cobbled courtyard that we absolutely loved!
The entire community enjoyed a fabulous day!
Spring 2025 Highlights
Remember what we say - "Where there's a mill.....there's a way".
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Credits:
Created with an image by Nitr - "wheat ears and grains"