Former mill workers are invited to a reunion celebrating the district’s industrial heritage.

The event is being organised by Little Germany-based theatre company Freedom Studios, which is working on a new production based on experiences of people who worked in Bradford’s textile industry.

It will be performed this spring at Drummonds Mill in Lumb Lane, Bradford, which is being specially re-opened for the occasion. The reunion will give former mill workers – whether they were a weaver at Listers, a spinner at Salts or worked in any of the district’s other mills – chance to reminisce about their working days and meet up with old friends and colleagues over afternoon tea.

Photographs of mill life spanning various eras will be on display, and there will be a re-creation of the Belle Vue studios, one of Bradford’s best- known photographic studios.

Founded in Victorian Manningham, it thrived up to the 1960s when it was widely used by migrant communities moving into the area.

Reunion guests will be invited to have their photograph taken by Bradford photographer Tim Smith and view old photographs from the original Belle Vue Studios.

Stories of mill life gathered from interviews with former workers carried out by Freedom Studios over recent months will be re-told at the reunion. And the Arts Council-funded theatre company will unveil plans for its next production, The Mill – City of Dreams, a play influenced by research conducted at Bradford Heritage Recording Unit and by interviews with reminiscence groups reflecting mill life and stories of migration to Bradford.

Freedom Studios artistic director Madani Younis said: “The role of the textile industry and the impact it had on people’s lives in Bradford is a compelling story. We are excited about re-opening Drummonds Mill as a performance space and telling the story of a city moulded and shaped by its rich history and diverse communities.”

Drummonds Mill was built in 1856 on a ten-acre site. It closed in 2002. The current owner has allowed Freedom Studios use of the building for the production, running from March 29 to April 16.

l The Drummonds Mill Reunion is at the Ukrainian Club on Legrams Lane, Lidget Green, on Sunday, February 20, from 2pm to 4pm. Former textile mill workers who would like to attend are asked to ring Jenna Omeltschenko on (01274) 730077 or email jenna@freedomstudios.co.uk. For more about The Mill - City of Dreams visit themill-cityofdreams.com