A Millhouse Writers Workshop - So You Think You Can’t Write… Tuesday 30th June 10:30 am - 12:00 pm

A Millhouse Writers workshop, facilitated by Sarah Jane Taylor

Aim

This workshop is designed to help those who have never written anything for pleasure, may feel apprehensive about how to start, or are currently feeling blocked, or need the time, space and encouragement to get going again.

In keeping with the theme of the current Millhouse exhibition, Seeking Ecological Citizenship, we will be using the theme of nature to encourage us to reflect and find material to write on how we think about ourselves in the environment and the places we live, visit and work.

Stay for lunch at the Millhouse café.

There are wonderful footpaths close to Rose Mills along the River Isle, after the session, we will show you the route so you can experience it for yourself and gather material and inspiration to continue your writing journey.

A free two-hour creative writing workshop, led by Lisa Storm-Olsen, using the river as its central thread at The Millhouse, Ilminster.

Thursday, 2nd July 10 am - 12 pm

The Millhouse is a creative hub that now sits in an industrial area. It is a former Victorian flax mill that sits alongside the River Isle. The area is surrounded by trees, farmland, water, and the heritage of a former industrial past. The river is part of its history and also offers a tranquil space to sit by it and listen to the birdsong and feel the flow of its movement as it meanders from tributary through to the River Parrett.

Our waterways, their ecology and the biodiversity that they support are precious and vital. Rivers are fundamentally about flow and carrying life.

Published writing on nature recovery and the connection between humans and the environment has seen increasing growth and demand. In this two-hour session, participants are invited into the nature writing space - to write into and through the river: its ecology, its memory, its disturbance, its restoration. 

By hearing and reading examples of writing on rivers and the natural environment, looking at art, photography - inspired by the themes in the current Seeking Ecological Exhibition in The Millhouse gallery and other source materials - we will consider the resonance of a river, how this resonates with us and how restoration can work both ways.

We will reflect on the following questions:

• How do we connect with rivers?

• Do we use and observe, or do we immerse, revere and protect?

• Are we compelled to reduce our impact on water and contribute to its active restoration?

• Can writing support this, and how?

We will reflect on how rivers have supported industry, craft and communities, and share experiences and thoughts.

We will also discuss how climate change is impacting river health and function, and what can be done about it. We will reflect on ecological flow and movement as species like the beaver, the crane (Somerset) and the pine marten (Devon) are introduced, as does rewilding and heritage farming, and recover public interest and hope in restoring river ecology. We will listen to different perspectives on these topics, including practical, scientific, historical, and recreational sources

We’ll experiment through short, informal writing exercises and prompts, some in a group, with discussion, and time to write individually.

Inspired by the riverbank setting and the varied visual and written resources, you will be guided with methods to generate some short pieces of work in response. Constructive feedback will be offered alongside opportunities to share your writing with the group, should you wish.

A range of source books will be available to use for further inspiration during the workshop.

Coffee and other refreshments are available in the on-site cafe, and there are riverside seats to take in the silence and observe whilst writing (weather permitting). Join us for lunch afterwards.

The workshop will be accessible and inclusive, friendly and supportive - we look forward to welcoming you. All levels are welcome, from beginner onwards and can encompass all genres and approaches.

Part of the Seeking Ecological Citizenship workshop, exhibiting between 23rd June - 18th July @TheMillhouseIlminster.

In Pursuit of Analogue? Parenting in a Digital Age

A conversation for parents, carers and children about being a parent and a child in an age of devices

Tuesday 30th June - 6:30 - 8:30 pm

The government just announced its intention to ban social media for under-16s. This will have a huge impact on some families as they navigate this shift. At the same time, Toy Story 5 has powerful messages for parents and children alike about the impact of devices and how we can learn to live alongside tech while balancing the need for children to play and experience a life outside technology. There’s also been a backlash to the ban, including children themselves, voicing concerns that it might have more negative consequences than anticipated.

The evening is an invitation to a conversation about these important issues about how we parent and what kind of balance we want children to have with technology - how we can help them to have a healthy relationship with technology. It is also an opportunity to share tips and concerns in a friendly and supportive environment. By attending, you agree not to judge and to offer an ear, understanding, and a commitment to taking one action away with you, however large or small it may feel.

It is not a proposal for a detox programme or a lecture about screen time.

There will be space for honest discussion, shared experience and - if you want to bring them - children's stories, poems or drawings about the world as they see it (if they give consent to do so).

You are welcome to bring your children to be part of this conversation, if you feel it is appropriate. Analogue games will be available for children to play if needed, but they cannot be left unsupervised. Due to the topic of conversation, we politely ask that children do not play on screens during the event.

We will talk about things like:

• What happens when children spend more time in the digital world than the physical one

• What we remember from our own childhoods, and whether our children are getting anything like it

• What small things might actually make a difference?

• How other parents are navigating this, and what solidarity looks like

Free to attend. Tea, coffee and a chance to connect afterwards.

The Millhouse is an arts and heritage space at Rose Mills Industrial Estate, Ilminster. There is free and convenient parking.

Please sign up online so we can know numbers in advance https://www.millhousearts.co.uk/buy-tickets/in-pursuit-of-analogue-parenting-in-a-digital-age

For more information:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fact-sheet-new-rules-to-protect-children-online/fact-sheet-new-rules-to-protect-children-online

https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01-05-expert-comment-why-cherish-analogue-digital-age

#parentinginadigitalage #screentime #childhood #themillhouseilminster

TREEMAN: A Message from the Trees A Talk by Artist & Tree Dowser Gordon Field

Join us at The Millhouse for an evening with Gordon Field — artist, dowser, and lifelong listener to the natural world. Gordon will share the story of his extraordinary journey with trees: how he came to hear them, what they've shown him, and what they want us to know.

This is an evening for anyone who has ever stood in a wood and felt something looking back. How to embrace and understand the energy of trees and what it means about connecting to the world with purpose.

Wednesday 24th June, 7–9pm The Millhouse Café & Gallery, Rose Mills Industrial Estate, Ilminster, TA19 9PS

Tickets: £5 Bar and cakes available on the night.

The venue has good disabled access, though facilities are limited — please get in touch if you have specific requirements: themillhouseilminster@gmail.com

A talk at The Millhouse — a former Victorian flax mill on the River Isle in Ilminster, Somerset. History revived and shared by two speakers

Up a Lazy River: The History of Flax, Water and Working Life on the Isle

A free talk at The Millhouse, Rose Mills, Ilminster, TA19 9PS

Thursday 4th June, 10:30 am - 12 pm (with post-talk walk)

This talk about the history of flax and the story of mills in the River Isle area is by two knowledgeable local people, John Higman and Jim Sainsbury.

Water is everywhere in this story. It powers the mills, carries the trade, grows the crops, and eventually, when economies shift and easier and cheaper things come along, this fascinating crop gets left behind, and with it an important part of Somerset's past.

John Highnam's talk traces the life of the rivers and streams of West Dorset and South Somerset from the ground up: the properties of water itself, what it made possible, and how it shaped the communities that depended on it. He'll be exploring the mill networks that grew up along the Isle and its tributaries, the river trade that connected them to wider markets, and the crops that made this particular corner of England so significant — flax and hemp, grown in the distinctive soils of what John calls the Flax Crescent, and driven in no small part by the insatiable demands of the Royal Navy.

Then the canals arrived, the railways and then the roads. Industrial production drifted north, where the water ran harder and more reliably. The mills of the Isle valley quietened, and much of what they were and who worked in them slipped out of living memory.

Jim Sainsbury, Chairman of the Heritage of the Ile Trust, has spent years working to recover that memory. He and others have researched the history of the local mills and factories in depth, and will be drawing on the Trust's extensive photographic collection to put faces, buildings and places back into the story.

The talk takes place at The Millhouse — a Victorian flax mill, still in use as a creative arts hub on the west side of the market town of Ilminster, and which plays an important part in the history John and Jim will be discussing. Coming here isn't just about attending a talk. It's being in the building that was part of local history and listening to it re-told and re-experienced by a modern audience.

History is the stepping stones to who we are today. To know where we are going, we need to know where we have come from.

Join us on a walk along the footpath that weaves around the River Isle. Stay on for coffee or a spot of lunch at the Millhouse Café.

Free entry, open to all. No specialist knowledge required. Places are limited — please register to secure yours. Register on Eventbrite or on our website - or just turn up.

#somersetlocalhistory #localhistory #flax #flaxmill #riverisle #riverile #ilminster #themillhouseilminster

Comedy night was planned for tonight but has been rescheduled. Next comedy event will be Friday 12th June 2026 with Ade Smith

On tour from USA, Chris describes himself as a Troubadour, a man travelling with stories, adventures and a fiddle. His performances are dynamic and exciting reflecting the nature of the man himself. He is an act not to be missed; so catch him here!! It will be a brilliant evening in our funky and soulful space.

The bar will be open and The Millhouse will welcome you with it’s charm and laid back atmosphere. Spend a great evening relaxing here. We have had some great nights down here recently and this without doubt will be another, so do come along.

Early Booking is advised. (Go to Bookings.) £12 in advance, £14 on the door.

Join us for the Wonderful Cog 5 plus support acts. Great Music all night long.

Fabulous Humorous folk music with Accordion, Clarinet and Fiddle from three highly accomplished musicians.

An evening of great entertainment and skilful playing of music.

MUSIC has always been a big part of what we do here at The Millhouse. We have regular open mics where we showcase local talent, act as a hotbed for musical networking and promise a great evening out amongst friends. If you are in a band and want a great venue to perform in, get in touch.

Every 2nd and 4th Friday of the month 7pm - 11pm (ish)

Find out more: themillhouseilminster@gmail.com Instagram: themillhousegallerycafe. Facebook: millhousenews Unit 1, Rose Mills Industrial Estate, Ilminster TA19 9PS

TREEMAN A MESSAGE FROM THE TREES A Talk by Artist & Tree Dowser Gordon Field about his journey with the trees and their message for us all

Hidden deep within our DNA and our subconscious is our true relationship with the Earth. All through the journey the trees have constantly reinforced the need for us to reconnect with the Earth.

If you spend time in the company of trees and water they will offer us a strong connection to these energies. The exploration of their physical qualities through our senses will strengthen us and enable us to understand the powers they hold.

Our contact with the Earth should be with the lightest of touches. We need to move through the land, leaving little or no trace of our journey. In doing so, we will build up a closer connection with all the other living beings that share the planet and, over time, we will be able to renew our connection with the elementals and spirit beings who will act as our guides. This return to our symbiotic relationship with the Earth will help us renew our place within the web of life and how we should interact with it.

Find out more https://artisttreedowser.com/

On Wednesday 10th September at 7 to 9pm

At The Millhouse Cafe and Gallery, Ilminster

£5 admission charge

Bar and Cakes available. Accessible location.

Contact Justin: 07980 946465 email: orwinstudio@gmail.com website: https://www.millhousearts.co.uk/