Windmill grinds to a halt as sails need to be replaced

THE SAILS of an historic windmill have ground to a halt, with supporters facing a huge fundraising task to get them turning again.

To replace the six sails at Heckington Windmill could cost up to £90,000, each one costing between £10,000 and £15,000 each.

But as well as trying to raise the money for the sails, the Friends of Heckington, a group of volunteers, are in the process of trying to raise £300,000 to buy and renovate the Mill House situated on the same site.

Despite the mill not working, it is still open to the public.

Heckington Mill is run by volunteers and managed by Jeff and Valerie Wise.

Jeff said: "We have not been able to grind flour since May, when we had an inspection by Millwrights which said we had to stop straight away due to the sails.

"Six of the eight sails are affected by rot and decay, but we will not know to what extent these are affected until a full report comes back to us.

"We do not have the funds to pay for the sails to either be replaced or fixed and, secondly, we the Millwrights are very busy so, even if we did have the funds, it could take a while to be sorted out.

"We are upset about the mill not working as it's very unique in the fact it's the only surviving eight-sailed windmill in Western Europe."

The Friends of Heckington's fundraising committee have been working hard to raise the money to buy the Mill House through its Buy A Brick scheme and other activities, which has seen them raise £20,00 so far. The Mill House contains 10,722 bricks and each brick can be bought for £1 and £50 for the chimney. Anyone buying five bricks or more will be given a certificate.

Heckington Mill, which attracts around 4,000 to 5,000 visitors a year, is owned by Lincolnshire County Council, but is run by the volunteers.

Lincolnshire County Council divisional heritage manager Mike Cavanagh said: "We are aware of the issues with Heckington Windmill and are awaiting a report on the extent of the damage to the sails. Once we have received and considered this report, we will be in a better position to determine the best course of action."

All money made through the mill goes back into the mill. A nearby mill is being used to grind the flour for Heckington Mill.

Opening hours: Easter to mid-July – Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Mondays, noon to 5pm.

Mid-July to mid-September – noon to 5pm.

Mid-September to the end of October – Saturday and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm.

November to Easter – 1pm to 4pm. For details call 01529 461919.