New yoga studio set to open in historic Farsley mill

A brand-new yoga studio is set to open in a historic west Leeds mill complex.
John Gaunt with Sarah McLaughlin. PIC: Giles RochollJohn Gaunt with Sarah McLaughlin. PIC: Giles Rocholl
John Gaunt with Sarah McLaughlin. PIC: Giles Rocholl

Anahata Yoga is moving into the historic Old Combing building at Farsley's Sunny Bank Mills early in the New Year.

Owner Sarah McLaughlin says she chose the mill complex - where Yorkshire Television’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed - as she wanted to open a studio with a "real community feel".

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She said: “Filled with local businesses, art studios and designers, it just felt like the right place to be. In the heart of Farsley where I live, my studio's location was key and Sunny Bank Mills ticked all the boxes. The studio is a lovely big space, which is light and airy, so for me it offers the perfect setting for a yoga studio.

“I live locally and am a regular visitor to the Mill Kitchen, Grumpys and the Art Gallery, all housed at the Mill. I also love their Christmas Market. When I first moved here on my return

from London, I attended one of the tours of the mill and I absolutely love how well-preserved the history of the mill is."

She added: “This is my first studio space. I have previously been working from my attic during Covid, so this is a major step forward.”

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John and William Gaunt are the joint managing directors of Edwin Woodhouse and Co Ltd, the family company that owns Sunny Bank Mills,

John said: “This is a very exciting new letting for us - and we are absolutely delighted Sarah is joining us at Sunny Bank Mills. The arrival of a yoga studio here broadens our leisure appeal and provides a wonderful new facility for everyone who works at the mill and who lives in Farsley”.

During the past ten years the multi award-winning Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, has been transformed into a modern business and cultural,

employment hub fit for the 21st century. It is now home to 75 companies, who employ a total of nearly 400 staff.

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William added: “This has been a very eventful couple of weeks for us. As well as signing up Sarah and her wonderful yoga studio, we have just completed the £2 million regeneration of Weavers’ Yard in the heart of the mill, which has transformed the whole complex, and a micro-brewery is about to open.

"We are looking forward to 2021 with confidence, despite the many challenges of 2020.”

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