Save our working watermill -the wheel has stopped turning.

Hi my name is Clare, I am a yoga teacher, I am fundraising on behalf of Michelle and David who currently run the beautiful Grade two listed historic watermill at Letheringsett near Holt. Letheringsett mill is the only watermill left in Norfolk that produces flour.

Unfortunately this week, the mill's wheel has stopped turning, as the teeth on the wheel have broken down and are in need of desperate repair. Currently this major breakdown prevents Michelle and David from doing any milling of their traditional Letheringsett flour and muesli which is sold by many shops and used by restaurants locally, this is the core of their business.

The repairs needed are costly in the region of £10,000 and requires skilled expertise to fix this issue. Michelle and David have a busy family life with their four children , running the rustic mill, which is a big commitment and never without its challenges. The family have recently not had luck in their favour as last winters storms resulted in water from the river Glaven flooding the ground floor of the mill, the flood covered the top of the tea room chairs. Everything had to be gutted and refitted over the winter months, their insurance paid for some of the repairs, after six months of not being able to operate they started to get back on their feet, with the mill fully functioning and the tea room back in action over the summer months. During this time Michelle gave birth to their baby girl, the family had to move home and have faced some other difficult personal matters. Michelle took on the mill after her Mother and Father who had previously run the mill passed away ten years ago. Michelle is an inspirational, resilient lady who is passionate about her job, there is nothing she does not know about the mill and milling. She is closely supported by her husband David and they make a formidable team doing their upmost to keep this historic building alive.

I have watched how hard the family work, receiving many visitors from the local community and tourists who come to take a tour of the mill given by Michelle, often finishing up in the tea room or sitting out by the peaceful mill stream, enjoying a coffee and a delicious slice of Michelle's homemade Victoria sponge. Many school parties attend the mill on educational trips, along with groups of artists who come to capture this unique setting.

The reason I am trying to help them - I met Michelle for the first time over a year ago , I went to visit the mill and over a coffee I got chatting about the fact I was a newly qualified yoga teacher and was looking for some space to hold classes. The proceeds from my classes going directly to dog rescue charities. Michelle invited me up to the top floor of the mill telling me I would be welcome to use and decorate the space, I could not believe the opportunity this presented to me as a new teacher.

Michelle and David's Kindness has allowed me to form a yoga group that focuses on wellbeing and mental health support in the local community, they have given my small business a home and a place to grow for which I am very grateful, over the last year I have been able to employ a member of staff.

If the wheel cannot be fixed soon, the future of the mill looks uncertain and it would be very sad to loose this space for many reasons, it is a community hub with many people visiting for a peaceful break away from the hustle and bustle of the busy local town and life in general.

If we can raise some funds this will go directly into finding a skilled craftsperson to restore the wheel ensuring many more years of milling ahead for the family and helping them to get their business back on track- at the moment it has literally sadly come to grinding halt.

Any help towards keeping this little piece of history alive and working would be so gratefully received by the family and also our small yoga group that enjoys our classes laying on the mat breathing and listening to the whirring and shuddering of the mill wheel turning.

Thankyou for reading

Kind regards

Clare