How you’re helping the campaign to save Robert Burns’s farm
A campaign to save the historic farm where Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns wrote his beloved song ‘Auld Lang Syne’ has been launched with the support of National Lottery funding.
The campaign is seeking to raise £12Million to restore Ellisland Farm, a property near Dumfries, where Burns and his wife Jean Armour lived for three years. The man widely recognised as Scotland’s national poet, was especially creative during this period, writing a quarter of his songs and poems.
The development stage of The Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne campaign was supported by funding made possible by National Lottery players. In Autumn 2024, a two-year National Lottery grant of £489,000 was announced to help fund the preparation of detailed plans to turn the site into a world-class cultural destination.
Joan McAlpine, project director of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust, said, “Last year’s funding news came as both a shock and a joy. It’s rare for such a small organisation to receive a major development award on its first application. But The National Lottery recognised the urgency of our case, as a site of national importance which is at real risk.”
Ellisland, despite its significance, has suffered from years of neglect. A 2021 conservation study confirmed that damp and decay mean the farm’s buildings can no longer safely house its collection of Burns artefacts.
The launch of the fundraising campaign was supported by a screening of a new film explaining both Ellisland’s significance and the case for urgent action to preserve it.
The ultimate aim of the campaign is to return Ellisland, as closely as possible, to a place Burns would recognise. The restoration will include undoing later alterations such as reinstating the original courtyard door and replacing a 1990s staircase with something closer to the poet’s time.
Burns’s gifts as a songwriter flourished during his time at the farm. As well as ‘Auld Lang Syne’, he wrote ‘Ae Fond Kiss’, ‘John Anderson, My Jo’, ‘Of a’ the Airts’ and many more. Joan said, “Our long-term vision is to celebrate that legacy through a Centre for Song by transforming the barns and outbuildings into spaces for music, performance and creative residencies.”
Burns’s musical legacy is already being celebrated at Ellisland via a series of concerts featuring the poet’s fully restored family flute. Meanwhile, a young people’s songwriting workshop led by the Scottish composer Rua Soul (Rory Comerford) saw eight emerging songwriters aged 16-25 create music inspired by nature and some of the themes in Burns’ work.
It is estimated that the fully operational site would support 65 local jobs and attract around 17,000 visits each year.
1st December 2025
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