Leeds events company acquires permanent venue at much-loved Farsley complex Sunny Bank Mills

Trouble At Mill, the acclaimed Leeds-based events company, now has a permanent home on a 10-year lease at the Sunny Bank Mills complex in Farsley and will host year-round shows at the 500-capacity Old Woollen venue.

Dick Bonham, one of the directors of Trouble At Mill, explained: “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.”

The Old Woollen is situated in the heart of the flourishing Sunny Bank Mills complex, which is a set of old mills in Farsley dating back to the 1820s that have been regenerated to host businesses and events.

The events company hosts a mix of music, comedy, theatre and the spoken word in the derelict mill building, which has been restored to become one of the most unique venues in the Leeds region.

Mr Bonham said: “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.”

Trouble At Mill first started hosting events in 2014 with pop-up nights at Sunny Bank Mills in a separate part of the establishment, with Mr Bonham saying: “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 said: “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.”

Upcoming music shows at the Old Woollen include The Bootleg Beatles (October 28) and The Wedding Present (December 3), classical star Jess Gillam (December 12) and The Loveless (December 16), featuring Marc Almond and Neal X.

There’s also a line up of comedy and theatre nights scheduled and events being held as part of Farsley Literature Fesitival lined up.