RECENT bad weather has caused chaos across the UK, including at a farm near Redditch which is renowned for its alpaca walking experiences.
Family-run Middle England Farm, located between Redditch and Henley-in-Arden has suffered a huge amount of damage thanks to Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice.
The owners have estimated around £4,5000 worth of damage has been caused, leaving some of their animals without shelter.
Tom Stevens - Moore who owns the farm with his wife Andie said they were finally starting to get back on their feet financially after the Covid pandemic and feel like they have been hit with another blow.
“We had to completely close our doors during the pandemic, meaning we had no income and had to fundraise throughout to keep us on our feet.,” said Tom.
“As restrictions have eased, we have seen more bookings which is fantastic but now we are faced with having to find funds to fix the damage the storms have caused.”
A shelter which is used for weaning alpacas, a shelter for male alpacas, a greenhouse, a sheep shelter as well as various fence panels have all been destroyed.
Luckily, the farm can stay open but there is no way of replacing the shelters until money is raised.
Tom, who has run the farm with Andie for four years, said their alpacas, which are high altitude animals, were not affected by the storm as they can withstand colder and windy temperatures.
“The main issue is we have lost our weaning shelter which means we cannot wean any of the alpacas,” added Tom.
“We are also set to have a heatwave next month so shelters will be needed to keep the animals out of the sun.”
To donate to the farm, visit their Facebook page or visit this link: https://bit.ly/3Ie9BwZ.
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