Coldharbour Mill Museum is the latest winner of RGB Building Supplies’ Well Built Community Fund following a public vote where the local community was asked to show their support.
Going up against groups based in Paignton and Wiveliscombe, people in the local areas were asked to vote for who they would like to be the recipients of £1,000 worth of building materials from RGB. More than 400 votes were received with the museum coming out on top.
Geoff Dobbs, branch manager at RGB Tiverton, said: “This is the first time we have asked the local community to decide who should be the recipient of the Well Built Community Fund and were delighted with the way everyone got behind the three finalists. Congratulations to Coldharbour Mill, we look forward to returning to see how the building materials were used.”
Coldharbour Mill is one of the oldest woollen mills in the UK, having been in continuous production since 1797. Today, the rich heritage lives on as one of the finest working wool museums where visitors are not just able to relive the sights and sounds of the industrial revolution, but also see crafts people making traditional textiles, beautiful knitting yarn and hand woven rugs. The museum now has £1,000 to spend on building materials, which they are planning to use to repair and relocate the bridge over the Mill stream to improve access.
Ian Gammon, who has been mill manager for the past 30 years, said: “We are all extremely grateful to receive the Community Fund grant and would like to say a huge thank you to RGB Building Supplies and everyone who voted for us. This really will help us move forward with our maintenance plan for the museum and improve the access for visitors.”
