New leaseholders are being sought to run the Rising Sun Farm in Wallsend .
A company associated with the Rising Sun Farm Trust charity, similarly named the Rising Sun Farm Trading Company, filed for insolvency on October 12 2022. Following this, the charity relinquished its lease to North Tyneside Council and the local authority has recently announced it is looking for a new leaseholder for the farm.
Mark Longstaff, director of commissioning and asset management at North Tyneside Council, said: “North Tyneside Council has worked closely with the existing board from the Rising Sun Farm. The trust has made the decision to surrender the lease back to the council and to dissolve the current trust arrangements.
Read More: Cullercoats Coffee Company granted alcohol licence for Tynemouth venue despite police objection
“The security of the site and its assets, along with the welfare of the animals at the farm, has been our immediate concern and has been addressed by council teams and our partners, as a matter of priority.
“We have several organisations who are already interested in the long-term future of the farm and its attached services, and we are working quickly, in line with our own council policies, to confirm these arrangements. We hope to have suitable providers identified soon and all aspects of the farm back up and running in full.
“There remain some successful businesses at the farm that are unaffected by these changes.”
A petition has been started to transfer the running of the farm to the newly formed Rising Sun Community Farm Association. It has, at the time of publication received over 5,700 signatures.
The author of the petition, Vivien Fenn-Webber, said: "Now that the lease of the Rising Sun Farm has been returned to North Tyneside Council, the Rising Sun Community Farm Association is keen to take control of it.
"We are ready and able to make a start and so I have written to the council asking them to give us an immediate mandate to manage the farm. We would even be prepared to do this on a temporary basis to demonstrate what we could achieve before a permanent lease is agreed.
"There is a great deal of work to be done but we believe that much of it could be carried out with little cost to the council. We have well over 5,000 signatures on our petition and pledges of support have already been received from many people in the local community.
"Consequently, with their help, we could make serious progress towards returning this wonderful facility to its former glory."
Read More:
- Brave neighbour intervened after spotting Wallsend man punching partner in face
- Three people in court after suspected fight in Whickham saw one suffer broken nose
- Retired firefighter among first to get brand new NHS heart scan at Sunderland Royal Hospital
- Walker tower blocks demolition delayed yet again as council blames gas pipe for latest setback
- Gateshead Quayside arena hotel that angered neighbours to be moved as controversial plans redrawn
