Campaign to save site of Gorgie City Farm raises £70,000

Locals and regular visitors of the farm have taken to social media to urge others to support saving it from going into liquidation. Picture: Malcolm McCurrach | other

A fundraising campaign to save Gorgie City Farm has raised almost £70,000 in donations from the public.

The farm, which welcomes 200,000 people a year, announced it had gone into liquidation on November 2, leaving its 23 staff members without jobs.

One member of staff, Hannah Ryan, set up a GoFundMe page the following day aiming to raise £100,000 to save the well-loved city attraction.

The farm cannot continue under its current name, but workers hope to use the money to save the site and re-launch the farm under a different name.

If the rescue bid is unsuccessful, the money raised will be donated to the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home and the Scottish Association for Mental Health instead.

The fundraising page has been shared 10,500 times and received donations from over 3,000 people.

Ms Ryan wrote on the page: “Gorgie Farm has been part of Edinburgh’s identity for the past 40 years and has overcome many challenges, sadly we now face our biggest challenge yet.

“Edinburgh and it’s future generation cannot afford to lose this farm especially in a time when people are becoming more and more removed from nature, having a farm within the city limits is invaluable.

Gorgie City Farm has supported and trained 237 volunteers since January and has educated 1,961 children through education activities on the farm this year alone.

The farm is home to a variety of animals including sheep, pigs, ducks, geese, chickens and a number of smaller animals.