AONB grant will help schools visit Woodbridge Tide Mill Museum

Woodbridge Tide Mill Museum has succeeded in gaining a grant from Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . Thanks to this generous support the Mill will be able to partially subsidise transport costs for schools from within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB which wish to make an educational visit.

The historic Woodbridge Tide Mill is one of just two working Tide Mills left in the UK that still mills flour. There has been a Tide Mill on the same site for well over 800 years. The Mill is of huge historic importance and is a remarkable example of our industrial and cultural heritage. Through it school students can trace the history of the local area and can make links to the importance of the River Deben and how it and its role in the lives of local people have changed.

The Tide Mill provides unique opportunities for learning in a range of subjects. Children can come along and learn the story of flour from field to fork and how we work sustainably to continue the ancient milling practice. They can also discover more about our geographical setting and how the river plays an incredibly important part in the running of the Mill, its socio-economic importance to the area of Suffolk and other elements that cover a range of National Curriculum objectives.

Woodbridge Tide Mill Charitable Trust Chair, John Carrington says: “With the help of this generous grant from the Coast & Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Sustainable Development Fund, we will encourage more schools to visit by working with teachers and school leaders to offer personalised visits that meet their curriculum needs. We initially plan to offer subsidies to schools outside the AONB area, using the grant to bring them to visit the Mill and experience the AONB area. We are aiming to meet at least 50% of their transport costs. If the project is successful, then we will roll it out to other schools”.

“This project will be led by our Education Lead, Tassa Deparis. Tassa has a wide range of teaching experience and is involved in delivering an exciting outreach programme to schools. Tassa works closely with both the Senior Mill Warden – Steve Molyneux and the Mill Project Coordinator Ian Gray, who are both involved in running school visits and organising the volunteers who lead groups around the Mill during their visit”.