Taunton Mayor presents thousands to charities

The Mayor of Taunton Deane,councillor Steve Brooks was delighted to be asked to present substantial cheques to five local charities on behalf of Bishops Lydeard Mill and Rural Life Museum.

Councillor Brooks and his wife Di ,attended the presentation on Saturday and were given an out of season tour of the mill which is owned by Charlie and Yvonne Back and Abbie Cook.

charites; SURE( Somerset Unit for Radiotherapy Equipment)Cancer Research UK Taunton branch,We are Macmillan,St Margaret's Hospice and The Open Door a homeless charity all recieved  £1,840 each.

Charlie said this was down on previous years but did take the total to over £80,000 since the opening of the mill in 2003.

Undeterred by the slack season, the owners are still adding to their exhibits to give visitors and all round trip down memory lane. They have a disabled stair lift so wheelchair users can get into the stone floor of the mill where there a DVD running and they are able to see some of the exhibits. There is also a lower floor and the grain store in the roof all with exhibits of old tools and models of yesteryear.

Outside they have used items from the mill,such as the old grinding stones to make a beautifully landscaped garden and there is a small teashop at the back. The Mill wheel still works and they are looking into using it to generate electricity,as Charlie said mills like theirs were self sustaining way before it became the green thing to be, and pointed out that even the ducks had their job,keeping the waterways weed free.

The Mayor and Mayoress enjoyed their tour,especially of the motor museum where they admired the Model T Ford and the Mayor joked that the penny farthing would be the transport for Di after the Mayor-making in May.

Talking to the charity representatives and the mill volunteers,Councillor Brooks said a big thank you to Charlie,Yvonne and Abbie ,pointing out that without fundraisers like them these charities would struggle as there was no way the government could pick up the tab.

Bishops Lydeard Mill is one of those hidden gems in our countryside and easy to get to from the A358,they have included a lot to see in a small space without it seeming overcrowded. It re-opens on May 30th until September 30th from 11am-4pm and you help the charities by going there.