'We don't want Covid to snatch it away from us'
Rutland farm park has been forced to close due to coronavirus, and are now dealing with bird flu
Last updated 1st Feb 2021
After a difficult year of only being open for 4 months and starting 2021 with their doors closed Rutland Farm Park are also dealing with bird flu.
They are now calling on the public to help support them.
Julie Ball, one of the owners said:
"We've put 6 years of hard effort in getting re-open and 3 years of being re-open and we don't want Covid to snatch it away from us, but at some point it's going to come to the day that we have to make the decision that we aren't getting enough finances anymore, we might have to just lock the key."
"Other businesses you can shut your doors and turn your electricity off, but we can't do that. We can't disconnect the phone, we can't turn off the water, we can't walk away and leave it, we have to carry on and we can not reduce our costs anymore."
A normal month to feed the animals and pay utility bills costs around £5,000 something they've struggled to do after only being open 4 months of the year.
Julie Ball said the support so far has been great:
"A lady came the other day and said I've only got 3 apples, and I nearly cried, because that means 3 pigs can have an apple with their dinner tonight. That for me is as valuable as having a couple hundred of pounds that people donate."