I love farfield mill and the old loom there on level 2, which I feel is probably the most important piece of weaving history around in the UK today. Built for a weaving shed in Witney this loom was the basis of a whole community's employment. it needed three men to operate it for the weaving plus a tie boy to fix any broken threads, a shuttle maker, a bobbin boy to wind the bobbins and of course around 40 hand spinners to produce the amount of yarn needed for a blanket loom of this size. The Witney blankets would eventually become world famous but the blankets produced on this loom and two others at Mr Early's weaving shed would create a major trade for two nations. The blankets were exported to Canada initially as a private enterprise and after Mr Early Junior had introduced the blankets to the king the blankets went on to be a major export item for The Governor and Company of Adventurers of England trading into Hudson's Bay - later to become the well known Hudson Bay Company. The Witney blankets became size marked using coloured threads and so developed into the famous Hudson Bay Point Blanket.

Think about this - this loom was providing a major export item from the UK before any space rocket was invented, before anyone had thought about designing a motor car or even a bicycle. This loom predates any spinning jenny, or even any reciprocating steam engine - it has a place in history that is unique - it was still used for sampling until the last Early Blanket factory was closed in 2002.

This is the only working example of a loom that is 300 years that I have found in the UK. Built in 1702 it has seen the rise and fall of industrialisation and also the building of the Canadian woollen blanket trade.

This loom and the mill it is currently in is under threat - there was nowhere else able to take this loom 10 years ago and that hasn't changed since - so if the mill isn't saved this will probably end up as firewood!

It must be worth saving - we still need to raise another £200,000 to be able to save Farfield mill and this unique piece of weaving history.

Please don't let me be the last weaver to have the opportunity to work this beautiful Oak beam loom.

Please help save Farfield mill and this wonderful old loom - there is just over a month left.

You can buy shares direct from

www.ethex.org.uk/FarfieldMill

But this just giving page is for those who would like to donate but can't afford to buy the minimum £50 of shares - any donations (less the just giving service charges) will be used to buy shares in the mill and if the minimum share offer isn't reached before the share offer is finally closed, then the money will be given to support a chosen weaving or textile related charitable project.