The National Lottery Heritage Fund has today announced that our latest funding bid was successful and that £746,000 will be awarded to Islington Mill to complete our capital fundraising project of over £2 million.

This generous award from National Lottery Heritage Fund will activate our grant of almost £1 million from Arts Council England. Together with input from Salford City Council, plus over half a million pounds raised by Islington Mill with all of you, our generous communities of friends and supporters in a dynamic artist-led fundraising campaign, this means our building programme can commence in 2020.

That means a new roof, complete weather-proofing of our structure, new entranceways, exterior lift to all floors, a fifth storey walkway, and new live/work/event spaces in a complete transformation of the 5th and 6th floors.

Most importantly of all it means our tenancy of this magnificent building is secured and there will be artists at Islington Mill for hundreds of years to come because of what we all did together in these years.

Maurice Carlin, Co-Director of Islington Mill said:

“Islington Mill is sustained by, and thrives off, the collective energy, ideas and opportunities brought by artists. I am one of many artists who made artworks to raise funds for the Mill. Together we raised over £100,000 which is a phenomenal achievement by any standards. This latest funding success will secure a long future for the finest surviving heritage building of its kind in the region, in perpetuity for generations more artists to come, guarding against the developing gentrification that has occurred in other urban centres and ensuring that artists have affordable studio space and a creative atmosphere in Salford in which to grow.”

Bill Campbell, Co-Director and Founder of Islington Mill also says:

“At Islington Mill we have always offered both space and time in which artists can flourish, by offering a range of support and encouragement, and holding a safe place for people and their ideas to grow, develop and happen in their own way, at their own pace, when there was sometimes no other place for these things to happen.”

Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett writes:

“Salford has always been a working city, where things are made. We’re hugely excited about this project, encouraging independent artistic industry in our city, driven by the community and those who live on-site. This is an exciting experiment in how to protect areas of rising rents from gentrification, how to keep these places affordable both for residents and also artists and creatives (who often live off a shoe-string!) We’re building a self-governing, affordable and accessible artistic space for industry, jobs and the arts. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic!”

We are in the process of sending thank-yous to the many people who have supported, advised, fundraised and helped us in numerous ways. We want to take as many opportunities as we can to say THANK YOU to each one of you for all of your help and support and your belief in Islington Mill over the years.

There will be more news and updates to follow, but in the meantime let’s take a moment to celebrate the good news. You did it. We did it. Islington Mill forever….!

If you would like to run a story about our successes please email for further info, quotes and images to maurice.carlin@islingtonmill.com