Join us for the opening evening of local photographer Adam Lewis’ exhibition of photos captured during December last year of everyday glimpses into our daily life here at The Mill. The Long Table bar and Kitchen will be open on the evening 5pm-7pm.

Adam’s photos will be exhibited from the 15th-31st August in our Sanctuary space. Adam has a strong belief in the importance of community and we were really happy to collaborate with Adam on this project. The final selection of photos were chosen by our colleagues here. Adam believes it is vital in these uncertain times that community spaces are conserved and we are so grateful to him for this work capturing the everyday.

Here is an excerpt from him describing the idea behind the exhibition.

‘What would a modern-day monastery look like in our largely secular society? Near Stroud, there is a place called Brimscombe Mill which attempts to provide one possible answer. On the surface, it is a minimally renovated old mill building which is home to 4 social enterprises. The observant might spot a few things hinting at a deeper purpose. There’s a sign that says “The Retreat” above the door of a small breeze block outhouse. There’s another one at the entrance of a larger room that says “The Sanctuary”.  If you arrive early enough you might catch a few people praying down by the river. Those are pretty much the only obvious clues. And yet. I am not a religious man, nor even a spiritual one, but it’s hard to ignore the overriding sense of ‘goodness’ about the place.

A core group of founders and employees are responsible for shaping the underlying culture of the mill. As an expression of their Christian faith, they seek to practice (and by their example, encourage) justice, hospitality, prayer and contemplation. The metaphor they use is trying to be “the yeast in the bread”. You might not notice what they do but they hope it has a significant impact. Equally, they are quick to point out they don’t have all the answers and reject the idea of any kind of all-knowing superiority. They just want to share what they think works and create an environment where everybody has the opportunity to grow.

The mill is run by an organisation called the Grace Network and is home to The Long Table, the Furniture Bank, The Bike Drop, and Kids Stuff. Please do go along to support them and to discover there is a different way of doing things.’

https://www.aworldclosertohome.org/index.php/brimscombe-mill/#:~:text=What%20would%20a,of%20the%20place.