Lamont Farm Project in Renfrewshire facing closure one year after fundraiser

An animal welfare centre in Renfrewshire has revealed it is on the brink of closure one year after being saved by a public fundraiser.

Lamont Farm Project in Erskine, a volunteer-run animal welfare project centre, has been open to visitors for nearly 50 years after being first founded in 1977.

However, last week the farm took to social media to reveal to its followers that they “won’t be able to say open for much longer”.

In a Facebook post, the facility said the “future of the farm is in serious jeopardy” due to rising bills, claiming it costs around £50,000 a year to keep the venue afloat.

It comes after the farm faced closure in 2023 due to “astronomical bills”, however, a GoFundMe appeal helped raise the necessary funds to keep the site open on that occasion.

Over £40,000 was raised, and £16,000 was donated to the effort in just one day.

In the social media post, they have asked visitors to “rally around” them once again and support wherever they can.

They added it would be “heartbreaking” for the animals to be taken away from their “safe place”.

A statement read: “It’s with a heavy heart that we are pleading for your help once again.

“Last year you all rallied around and helped to save the farm, we really couldn’t believe it and we’re hoping that we still have that support. Without help, the future of the farm is in serious jeopardy and we won’t be able to stay open for much longer.

“The footfall is down just now, leading to a dramatic decrease in donations. We are applying for grants wherever we can and running fundraisers but unfortunately, it’s not bringing in anything near what we need to keep the farm up and running.

“Costs are high, higher than they’ve ever been, and donations are low. It costs around £50,000 per year to keep the farm afloat and that’s with everyone being volunteers, we don’t have any wages to cover but the cost of animal feeds, bedding, vet bills, insurance, electricity, and gas – well you can imagine it all mounts up quickly.

“We have so many elderly animals here now and we worry about how they would cope if we had to close.

“Jack is now 34, the donkeys are in their late 20s, Gizmo is in her teens, and the llamas are now wee old ladies. For these and the rest of the animals, the farm is their safe place, and it would be heartbreaking for it to be ripped away from them.

“So please help if you can, we don’t want this spring to be the last of Lamont Farm.

“Any donations large or small can make a massive difference and will be so gratefully received. We hope that the community hasn’t outgrown the farm and that we are still able to be a valuable part of it.

“We have a GoFundMe set up on this link https://gofund.me/0686acad and we have PayPal on lamontfarmproject@gmail.com, we can also provide bank details if anyone would like to donate that way.

“Thank you so much to everyone who has supported us in the past!”

Lamont Farm allows members of the public to visit and interact with rescued and rehomed animals such as horses, pigs, sheep and llamas.

The site previously fell victim to vandalism, a deliberate fire that caused damage to the centre and theft.