Woolly wonders as flood-hit Leeds mill opens its doors

The Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills was forced to close its doors after falling victim to the floods in December.

But with the hard work of volunteers and staff the museum is now set to proudly display its woolly wonders once more.

Leeds’s craft community will come together this summer to celebrate the wonderful world of wool.

The festival, one of the highlights of the museum’s calendar, will be returning for the third year and will include a market place with a selection of locally-produced yarn, craft tools and textiles for sale.

The event will also feature live music and dance performances inspired by Yorkshire’s textile industry, films in the 1920s cinema including the award winning ‘Addicted to Sheep’ as well as some adorable lambs and alpacas

It looks set to be the first major event held at the historic west Leeds site after it became a victim of the devastating Boxing Day floods. Water levels rose to around eight feet at Leeds Industrial Museum – triple the previous all-time high, recorded in 1866.

Councillor Brian Selby, Leeds City Council’s lead member for museums and galleries, said: “It’s great to see the Wool Festival back at Leeds Industrial Museum and to see an important chapter in the city’s heritage being celebrated once again at this fantastic event.

“It will also be inspiring to see all the hard work done in the wake of December’s devastating floods come to fruition and to see the museum getting back on its feet with such a colourful occasion.”

The very popular pop-up café hosted by The Darling Roses branch of the Women’s Institute will also return, selling homemade cakes and teas.

The Wool Festival takes place Saturday, June 4, from 10am to 5pm and usual admission applies. Parking on site is limited, so visitors are being encouraged to use public transport.