WHAT: We sent Archie and Dierdre Cameron and their livestock, Alasdair, nine, Douglas, 12, and 15-year-old Lynda plus friend Daniel Carrigan, nine, to volunteer for the day at a city farm.
WHere: Gorgie City Farm, 51 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh.
WHen: Daily, 9.30am-4.30pm.
WHy: For a fun day of hard manual labour. The Camerons helped to look after the sheep, ponies, cows, pigs, goats, rabbits, ducks, hens, bantams, turkeys, pheasants and tortoises at the farm, which was set up in 1982 as a community project on the site of a refuse collection yard. If you'd rather not muck in, visitors who want to see the animals are welcome.
dierdre's Verdict: ''We weren't quite sure what we'd let ourselves in for, but it was a good day. It was really well-organised and great to be a volunteer doing the mucking
out rather than just looking.''
lynda's Verdict: ''I fed the pigs, spread hay and put the animals away at the end of the day. Feeding the pigs was disgusting because of the smell of the pigswill. The lambs were cute, but not the piglets.''
ALASDAIR's Verdict: ''We changed the rabbit pen and I liked Humbug the best, who was black and white. There was one called Ned who was the
size of a cat. We walked a cow, Bunty, to a field for feeding
and she got her head stuck
in the bucket.''
WHo would enjoy this: People who want a taste of the countryside without the smell of manure. Younger children will enjoy visiting the farm, but people of all ages will get something out of volunteering.
how much: Free.
contact: 0131 337 4202.
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