Leeds event business Trouble At Mill is set to host shows at the Sunny Bank Mills complex after signing a deal to make the building its permanent home.
The company has signed a 10-year lease at the property in Farsley, and said it will host year-round shows at the 500-capacity Old Woollen venue – one of the first mill buildings at Sunny Bank which dates back to 1830. The derelict Old Woollen mill building has been restored to become one of the most exciting entertainment venues in the Leeds region, staging music, comedy, theatre and the spoken word.
Dick Bonham, one of the directors of Trouble At Mill, said: “This is tremendous news for us. Having worked with Sunny Bank Mills to develop the offer at the Old Woollen, we’re delighted to make this a permanent move. The next year is our biggest and best yet, with double the amount of shows and some familiar household names visiting Farsley.
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“The Old Woollen is incredibly flexible and dynamic space that has already seen us host famous names like John Lydon’s Public Image Limited, Shaun Ryder, Mark Radcliffe, Gary Delaney, The Great British Sewing Bee’s Esme Young and legendary TV historian Lucy Worsley. The setting at the Old Woollen is ideal for providing all our acts and audiences with a warm welcome. As well as the main room, we are leasing the beautiful Old Engine Room, which gives us a stylish base to work from and doubles as one of the best Green Rooms in the business.
“Our story started at the Mill nearly a decade ago in 2014 with the Trouble At mill pop-up nights, which took place in another Sunny Bank building – now demolished! All we had then were a few trestle tables, some old chairs from a church, blankets to keep out the cold, a pop-up bar and some hearty homemade tucker. It’s incredible to see how far things have some since then.
“We are tremendously grateful to William and John Gaunt, the owners of Sunny Banks Mills. We share exactly the same vision for the Old Woollen and it makes perfect sense to be based at the mills, which is such a trailblazer for the arts in West Yorkshire. This is a continuation of a beautiful and productive partnership.”
William Gaunt added: “We are delighted to welcome Trouble At Mill to Sunny Bank on a permanent basis. This move will strengthen our relationship and ensure that the Old Woollen has one of the most exciting and eclectic arts programmes in the Leeds area.
“Bringing the Old Woollen back to life was a true labour of love. The building had been derelict for 50 years and had fallen into an advanced state of dilapidation. Now it is a thriving cultural and community hub and maintains the mills’ proud connection with the arts, as both Yorkshire Television’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed here, and we have a thriving art gallery on site, too.”
Original artice – https://business-live.co.uk/all-about/yorkshire-humber
