LOVE Gorgie Farm to operate as food bank as it closes to public over coronavirus

Love Gorgie Farm will operate as a food bank and deliver free breakfast to children home from school as the centre closes to the public amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The farm is calling for help with food deliveries and donations to the food bank.

Two pages have been set up for those wanting to help – an Amazon shopping list of items the farm needs, and a Go Fund Me page to help keep the farm going.

Items on the shopping list include hand sanitiser, toilet roll, flower and plant seeds, animal feed and an incubator for eggs.

Lynn Bell, CEO of LOVE Learning, which took over the farm after it went into liquidation in November, said the team were disappointed to have to close the farm so soon after its re-opening under a new name at the end of February.

“However, the safety of our staff, visitors and animals is and will always be our first and foremost priority,” she added.

The farm is still operational, with staff remaining to look after the animals.

Ms Bell said: “Our dedicated team will still need to work hard to maintain the farm and take care of our animals so that we can reopen once we go back to normality. And we need help and supplies to support their work.

“We cannot stress enough how vital the help from the community will prove to work through this crisis. We need volunteers to help us deliver the breakfasts and meals from the café.

“Donations for our food bank will be paramount for those families who cannot afford it, and although we understand that we are living through a critical moment, any small donations will make a big difference.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the overwhelming support that we have received to get LOVE Gorgie Farm going.

“The generosity of the community has surpassed all our expectations thus far and we are sure that their invaluable help will continue to amaze us as we work through this critical moment.”