A community farm in Edinburgh that was at risk of closure is set to reopen its doors to the public this weekend.
LOVE Gorgie Farm, formerly Gorgie City Farm, will celebrate with a range of family-friendly activities between 11am and 3.30pm on Saturday.
A number of Hibs and Hearts footballers, Edinburgh and Scotland rugby players, politicians and council representatives will also be attending the festivities.
As well as face-painting, a henna tattooist, music, tombola and photo booth, visitors will also get the chance to feed the animals – including pigs, sheep and goats – and take some newly arrived alpacas out for a stroll.
LOVE Learning, an education and social care charity, took over the site in January after the former Gorgie City Farm went into liquidation in November 2019.
Between 12pm and 2pm on Saturday, a community consultation will take place so as the visitors can share their hopes for the future of the farm with the new owners.
The farm – which is opening earlier than expected thanks to the assistance of hundreds of volunteers – will remain open seven days a week and offer free entry.
It will provide educational services to children through animal and forest therapy, and will also offer a range of professional apprenticeships and Scottish Qualifications Authority awarded qualifications.
The new owners are also looking to organise social prescribing and wellbeing therapies in partnership with the NHS in the future.
Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Learning, said: “We are incredibly excited to be opening LOVE Gorgie Farm much earlier than we anticipated and we are hoping for a great turnout on Saturday.
“This will also provide the chance through our consultation exercise for the local community to provide its views on what people would like to see the farm used for in the future.
“I would like to thank the hundreds of volunteers who have given up their valuable time to help get the farm up and running earlier than anticipated.
“We could not have done it without their crucial role.”
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