Hall Hill Farm, the popular north east farm attraction, located near Lanchester, is again bringing ‘lambing live’ to people’s homes and helping to tell the story of the Durham countryside worldwide, after switching on the live video feed on its website to provide 24 hour live streaming of lambing time.
The ‘Lamb Cam’ at Hall Hill Farm, the award winning tourist attraction near Lanchester, will enable people to see lambing live on their computer screens this spring. 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 ‘Lamb Cam’ went live today (24 March) at their Live Lambing event where visitors were invited to stay into the evening for the opportunity to watch a live birth. Lambing Live will continue over the Easter weekend which traditionally marks the start of the tourist season and the farm will be open daily until the end of September.
Tourism Manager Ann Darlington said: “Lambing is how Hall Hill Farm started out as an attraction many 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.
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 September. You can find Hall Hill Farm on Facebook and Twitter (@HallHillFarm) and at www.hallhillfarm.co.uk
To watch ‘LambCam’ live go to: www.hallhillfarm.co.uk/lamb-cam/