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Gates Open at Hall Hill Farm for Lambing Season

Screen Shot 2016-03-17 at 16.04.36Hall Hill Farm is opening its gates to the public for a very special experience and inviting people to come and view live lambing on the evening of Thursday 24 March.

The popular tourist attraction in Lanchester will be hosting a Live Lambing event on Thursday 24 March, from5pm until late (although the farm will be open from 10.30am)​

​At the event people will have the chance to:

  • Watch a live birth (hopefully)
  • Hear from experts about what to look out for
  • Feed the pet lambs their evening feed
  • Meet the shepherd and hear him talk about his flock
  • Be virtually guaranteed to see a lamb under 1 day old

The farm will be open to the public and school groups from 10.30am until late that evening (the farm usually closes at 5pm). There is a special entry price of £2.50 after 5pm with last admission at 9pm.

Tourism Manager Ann Darlington said: “Lambing is how Hall Hill Farm started out as an attraction over 30 years ago and it is great for our family to see that the animals that we have long cared for still as popular as ever.

“Even though the tourism attraction has grown massively over the years we have always remained close to our agricultural roots. Hopefully we can both entertain and educate visitors at the same time so they get to know more about the countryside and farming.”

Around 16 million lambs are born in the UK every year, which makes lambing the biggest and busiest event in the farming calendar. Each spring the fields fill up with ewes and their new lambs – a seasonal feature of the landscape but also a reminder of a way of life that’s shaped the country and the countryside.

Hall Hill Farm shepherd, Richard Darlington has 200 sheep in his flock and is expecting over 350 lambs to be born in March and April.

Richard said: “This year we are expecting over 350 lambs to be born here on the farm so we can virtually guarantee visitors at the event or over the Easter weekend will be able to see a lamb less than one day old.”

Hall Hill Farm, which employs up to 50 people, welcomes over 75,000 visitors every year attracted by the family fun on offer and the opportunities to see and touch animals at close quarters.

Visitors can bottle feed lambs, see fluffy chicks, inquisitive goats, magnificent Highland Cattle and get close to children’s favourites such as guinea pigs and rabbits, as well as enjoy a tractor or donkey ride around the beautiful countryside. The popular Playbarn also provides a fun indoor play area for families to enjoy as well as shelter from the rain or find shade from the sun.

Lambing has always been one of the most popular times at the farm. It all began at Hall Hill Farm 35 years ago when the working farm decided to open as an attraction in 1981 by inviting people to come and see their lambs during the lambing season – and the attraction grew from there and has gone from strength to strength winning a number of regional and national tourism awards.

The County Durham farm, which opened in 1981, is very much a family business. Situated on a 291 hectare site near to Lanchester, Hall Hill Farm is owned by Jack & Pat Gibson, whose son David runs the working farm and livery and daughter Ann Darlington manages the visitor enterprise, and her son Richard is the shepherd.

Hall Hill Farm will be open daily from 24 March until the end of October. You can find Hall Hill Farm on Facebook and Twitter (@HallHillFarm) and at www.hallhillfarm.co.uk

By admin