'Where will the animals go if our farm folds?'

Neil Campbell and Joanna Holbrook-Morris say Nunny's Farm is facing rising costs

A cash-strapped urban farm could close by the end of the year, the owners have warned.

Neil Campbell and Joanna Holbrook-Morris need £40,000 to save Nunny's Farm in Grimsby.

But they said they feared most of the animals would have to be put to sleep without the extra funds.

"A lot of animals that we've rescued, we were their second chance," said Ms Holbrook-Morris. "Where are they going to go if we have to fold?"

The farm, on the Nunsthorpe estate, has welcomed more than 100,000 visitors since opening in 2021.

It is not only a visitor attraction, but works with veterans and children outside of mainstream education, runs a mini-farmers club and rescues unwanted animals.

"The whole farm is built around and for mental health," Mr Campbell said.

Nunny's Farm works with people to improve their mental health

The owners have launched a fundraising appeal to help save the farm.

They said they had suffered from bad weather and flooding over the past year.

Costs rose by £20,000 last April due to a rise in the minimum wage, Mr Campbell said.

The farm was now "facing another £14,000 increase" after the recent budget announcements.

"I don't see where that is going to come from," he added. "We tried to fund it last year through personal loans which are still outstanding, so that's not an option for us any more".

Ms Holbrook-Morris said: "The animals would have to be put down.

"The majority of them will not be able to be relocated because of Bluetongue [virus], which means we can't move cows, alpacas, sheep or goats out of the area".

The owners are looking for outside investment.

Mr Campbell added: "This is my life's work. It's everything."

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