SUPPORTERS of a campaign to bring new life to an 18th Century cotton mill were putting on a brave face last night after the building they love was beaten into third place in the BBC2 series Restoration.

Gayle Mill near Hawes, North Yorkshire, was one of eight historic buildings competing in last night's final, which was broadcast live from Hampton Court Palace.

The winner, The Old Grammar School, in Kings Norton, Birmingham, received more than £3m to fund a complete restoration.

A bus load of campaigners went to the event to put their case for the mill. The supporters have already raised £900,000 to repair it and convert it into a learning centre.

But more funding is needed to restore the 250-year-old water system, which is one of the oldest in existence.

Harvey Dowdy, project manager for its owner, the North East Civic Trust, said: "Gayle Mill seems to really capture the imagination of everyone who comes into contact with it.

"At the open days held last weekend, when over 500 people visited the mill, lots of people came up to us to say they had supported Gayle Mill because it was going to be restored to a use that would benefit the local community.

"Gayle Mill will not become just another museum, but a focus for all sorts of activity relating to the woodlands of the Yorkshire Dales, the use of local timber and renewable energy to name but a few."

The mill was built in 1776 as a cotton factory and by 1826 it had been used to process flax and then wool, supplying yarn to the local hand-knitting industry.