At the beginning of last year, I delivered an artist/research residency at Sunny Bank Mills as part of LEEDS 2023’s ‘Hidden Stories‘ strand.

The project involved me visiting various community and historical groups; spending time in the SBM archive; listening to oral history recordings; and also, arranging informal meet-ups where I could interview relevant people.

This culminated in writing a collection of 20 poems in response to local heritage, with a particular focus on the millworkers’ community. We had a public sharing event at the Old Woollen which included a whole range of interactive activities to encourage further responses – both from former millworkers and from members of the local community learning about this history for the first time.

And this summer, I was blown away to discover that SBM have installed some of my poems on permanent display. Firstly, the framed prints that are dotted around the mill site. And secondly, the excerpts that are now proudly displayed above the lift on each floor of the historic 1912 mill.

I’d just like to wholeheartedly thank SBM for inviting me to deliver this project and for cementing my work as part of Farsley’s vibrant and ever-changing landscape. It means the world.