Volunteer Rangers Projcts
The Volunteer Ranger Group was
formed several years ago by the Park Rangers to do environmental and
conservation work in the Dene.
Discussions on improving the Old Mill
began in Spring 2004 and a grant
application made to the Local Heritage
Initiative (LHI) with a separate
application to English Heritage for
permission to make changes to the
building.
The applications took hundreds of
hours of work to prepare and gain
approval but in September 2005 an LHI
grant was awarded.
Basic tidying up and maintenance work
was needed - after years of neglect,
the mill site had become badly
overgrown, covered with weeds and
graffiti and the security railings needed
repainting.
Access improvements included
resurfacing the pathway into the mill, a
new guard rail, and a new security
arrangement for better views into the
main mill room.
Finally more information about the mill
and the Ouseburn Valley has been
provided - new information boards at
the mill, a brochure and a scale
model of the mill for display at the
Visitor Centre.
Wherever possible work was done by
the Volunteers, although some tasks
needed outside help such as fitting
new security fences.
The Project took about 12 months to
complete, starting in November 2005.