Brixton windmill’s flour power helping food banks during pandemic

BY RACHEL STEINBERG

Flour power is on the rise in South London.

A new partnership between the capital’s last working windmill and local food banks is ensuring the area’s neediest have access to one of the pandemic’s most sought-after products.

The 204-year-old Brixton Windmill, in Blenheim Gardens, quintupled its production to meet demand since flour first started flying off the shelves in the early stages of lockdown panic buying.

The windmill’s team, which includes 30 active volunteer millers and two grant-funded full-time staff, quickly recognised supply wouldn’t just be a concern for individuals.

So they approached the Norwood & Brixton Foodbank and the Floating Food Bank on the nearby Blenheim Gardens Estate to offer their support in the form of 500g bags of flour.

Lucy Bridal, Brixton Windmill’s business development manager, said: “Our main concern is that once the lockdown ends and all of this is over there’s going to be a large proportion of our community who are still feeling the shockwaves and the aftermath of it.

“Once everyone is let back out again it’s not going to be business as usual. There’s going to be a very long recovery period.

“And I think there’s going to be a higher dependency on food banks following this rather than a dip in it.”

The windmill has donated 240 bags since March 29 and raised enough money to provide flour to the food banks for the next year.

Only millers who don’t require public transport are currently able to volunteer, but there are 130 on the mailing list and people living nearby are still encouraged to sign up.

The leadership team also implemented social distancing measures by reducing the total number of volunteers to three at a time—the minimum required to operate the mill’s heavy machinery.

Lucy said the organisation is receiving more demand from local businesses than it is currently able to meet.

Milling flour requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), so the team capped production to avoid straining the chain supplying other frontline efforts.

Brixton Windmill is itself a charity facing financial uncertainty as a result of the lockdown.

Lambeth Council paid for a new building to house educational workshops and provide income through private hire.

It was set to open beside the 19^th century windmill this spring, but its doors have remained shut.

The group was also forced to cancel its Easter Family Fun Day and May Beer and Bread Festival.

Lucy said the organisation is incurring a 25 per cent loss and she is looking at other funding support with these key revenue streams shuttered.

They are now hoping to open the education centre in June.

She said: “We are suffering. We do need help. We do need donations.”

Norwood & Brixton Food Bank session lead Johanna Derry Hall is grateful for Brixton Windmill’s  support during a time of staggering need.

Her branch, part of the Trussell Trust charity network, shares a distribution warehouse with the Vauxhall and Waterloo food banks.

In April, the three combined to deliver parcels to 3,044 people—an increase of 134 per cent from April 2019.

Norwood & Brixton Foodbank, which runs a volunteer-led delivery service from the warehouse, packs an estimated 70 parcels and gives away about 1.5 tonnes of food every day.

Johanna said: “Flour is impossible to get in the shops at the moment. [It’s] like gold dust.

“The deliveries [from Brixton Windmill], about 40 bags of flour each time, [are] amazing.

“It’s just a really useful cupboard staple to be able to put into bags for families.

“And it’s nice to be working with another local charity, a very reciprocal relationship.”

Brixton Brewery also stepped in to donate a key ingredient: yeast.

Mention ‘bread-making’ lately and many of us will conjure up Instagram images of sourdough and banana loaves baked by the upper crust.

But for frontline charity workers like Johanna, the past few months have illuminated just how precarious privilege can be.

She said: “One of the things that’s most striking is the number of people who live just on the cusp of crisis.

“You don’t get a sudden rise like this unless people are kind of walking a fine line.

“I really hope that people do continue to support us and that it’s raised the profile of the need that there is on our society, of how people locally, maybe your neighbours, are actually struggling.

“This is something that can change. We want people to support the food bank but more than that we’d like people to support change so that food banks don’t need to exist.”

 

ASHBY’S MILL

Ashby’s Mill was built in 1816 and worked by wind until 1862, when the business was transferred by the Ashby family to a watermill at Mitcham on the River Wandle. The sails were removed in 1864 – because new surrounding buildings meant it did not get enough wind – and the windmill was relegated to use as a store. In 1902, a steam engine was installed by the second miller, Joshua Ashby – and even this was later replaced by a gas engine. The windmill was worked by engine until 1934, and supplied wholemeal flour to West End hotels and restaurants. Joshua closed it and died a year later and the building quickly became derelict.

In 1957, London County Council (LCC) bought the land, the windmill and the buildings for £7,845. LCC decided to turn the 2.5 acres of land into a public open space – Windmill Gardens. By the early 1960s the bakery, outbuildings, Mill House and Mill Cottage had all been demolished to make space for the public gardens.

LCC restored the structure in 1964, with new sails and machinery from a derelict windmill at Burgh le Marsh, Lincolnshire. It was opened to the public at Easter 1968. In 1971 the mill passed to Lambeth council, which did further restoration work in 1978 and 1983, but the windmill was placed on the Buildings at Risk Register in 1995.

A £2million restoration took place with the help of the Horniman Museum and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and a £397,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund and more from the town hall and further fundraising by the Friends of Windmill Gardens to cover the total cost of £581,000. The restored mill was officially opened to the public on 2 May 2011 by Chuka Umunna, then MP for Streatham.