Vital repair work to one of Pendle’s historic mill chimneys has been given the go-ahead, thanks to additional funding from a national heritage body.

The 124-foot chimney at Barnoldswick’s Bancroft Mill Engine Museum can now be repointed following the grant of £20,000 from the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

Nearly £45,000 had already been raised for the massive task over several years. The additional funding now means all or most of the work can be completed in one go.

The work on the century-old chimney has now begun, with scaffolding and ladders now in place, and locals are following the project closely via social media.

The fundraising campaign began in earnest back in 2018 when Peter Mitchell, one of the Mill’s volunteers, took on the Three Peaks on his 78th birthday, raising the first £1,000.

Then, following his death in 2021, a further £1,300 was raised in his memory.

The chimney had previously been repointed in 1999 by legendary steeplejack Fred Dibnah.

Bancroft Mill Engine Museum is run solely by volunteers and relies almost entirely on public support for its running costs, especially from its public Steaming Days when one or more of its restored engines can be seen running at full power.

The Association for Industrial Archaeology, the company funding the repair work, is the national society for industrial heritage, which has supported the study, preservation and presentation of industrial heritage in Britain since 1973.

Dates of future steaming days can be found at the Bancroft Mill website.