New yoga studio to open at flexible Sunny Bank Mills

A brand-new yoga studio is opening at the iconic Sunny Banks Mills complex, between Leeds and Bradford, in January.

Anahata Yoga is moving into the historic Old Combing building at Sunny Bank in Farsley early in the New Year.

This is the latest in a raft of new lettings at Sunny Bank Mills, where Yorkshire Television’s Emmerdale and Heartbeat were filmed.

Sarah McLaughlin, the owner of Anahata Yoga, explained she chose the award-winning Sunny Bank Mills because: “I wanted to open a studio with a real community feel and I absolutely love what Sunny Bank Mills has to offer.

“Filled with local businesses, art studios and designers, it just felt like the right place to be. In the heart of Farsley where I live, my studio’s location was key and Sunny Bank Mills ticked all the boxes. The studio is a lovely big space, which is light and airy, so for me it offers the perfect setting for a yoga studio.

“I live locally and am a regular visitor to the Mill Kitchen, Grumpys and the Art Gallery, all housed at the Mill. I also love their Christmas Market. When I first moved here on my return from London, I attended one of the tours of the mill and I absolutely love how well-preserved the history of the mill is. I will definitely be looking into the history of Old Combing,” she explained.

Sarah said that John and William Gaunt, the joint managing directors of Edwin Woodhouse and Co Ltd, the family company that owns Sunny Bank Mills, have been “incredibly helpful”  with her move.

She commented: “The Gaunts have been amazing from the moment I expressed an interest in the space at 12 Old Combing. They have worked with me to fulfil my dream of opening a community yoga space, and without their flexibility and open-minded attitude, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today.

She added: “This is my first studio space. I have previously been working from my attic during Covid, so this is a major step forward.”

John Gaunt commented: “This is a very exciting new letting for us – and we are absolutely delighted Sarah is joining us at Sunny Bank Mills. The arrival of a yoga studio here broadens our leisure appeal and provides a wonderful new facility for everyone who works at the mill and who lives in Farsley”.

During the past ten years the multi award-winning Sunny Bank Mills, one of the most famous family-owned mills in Yorkshire, has been transformed into a modern business and cultural, employment hub fit for the 21st century. It is now home to 75 companies, who employ a total of nearly 400 staff.

William Gaunt added: “This has been a very eventful couple of weeks for us. As well as signing up Sarah and her wonderful yoga studio, we have just completed the £2 million regeneration of Weavers’ Yard in the heart of the mill, which has transformed the whole complex, and a micro-brewery is about to open. We are looking forward to 2021 with confidence, despite the many challenges of 2020.”

Apart from her yoga, Sarah McLaughlin works voluntarily with St Georges Crypt, the Leeds homeless charity, and Children’s Corner, whose head office is at Sunny Bank Mills.