Big news for Ellisland Farm! We have received a generous grant of £313,210 from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) towards our campaign “Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne.”
Alongside an earlier grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we are one step closer to bringing our vision for Ellisland to life.
We are so grateful to SOSE and were delighted to welcome their chair, Russel Griggs, to Ellisland to toast the bard – and the good news – just in time for Burns Night.
“Robert Burns lived, composed and performed in Dumfriesshire during some of the most prolific years of his life, with Ellisland Farm playing a pivotal role in his time in the South of Scotland. That is why South of Scotland Enterprise has over a number of years supported the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust with their ambitious plans.
Russel Griggs, SOSE
“The project not only aims to preserve the home built by Burns, but also develop skills and create jobs in our rural economy. It will also bring more visitors to our region to discover the story of Scotland’s Bard.”

It topped a busy week for Ellisland. On Wednesday our staff and Trustees travelled to the Scottish Parliament to hear our MSP Oliver Mundell lead a debate on the importance of Burns, which highlighted our recent successes and the campaign to Save the Home of Auld Lang Syne.
Around 20 MSPs of all parties came to speak to the team, including the business and tourism minister Richard Lochhead, whose department is responsible for the SOSE support.
Our plans have been modified from the 2023 outline designs known as Ellisland FutureVision! We now plan to deliver our vision using the existing historic buildings, several of which were created Robert Burns.
Instead of a large, new built visitor centre, as previously proposed, we have opted instead for a more sustainable approach.
We still intend to commission sensitive off grid accommodation within our 130 acres of land. These will be inspired by “The Hermitage”, the small bothy on the neighbouring Friars Carse estate where Burns would work close to nature.
This SOSE funding marks the beginning of an exciting new phase in our Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne project. With these critical resources in hand, we’re now poised to press ahead with an intensive period of creativity – a bit like Burns at Ellisland, when he produced dozens of songs and poems in a short time.
Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne is not just about restoring the past – this is about building a future where Ellisland becomes a thriving, interactive space that celebrates Robert Burns’ legacy while creating a vibrant destination for artists and visitors alike.
There will be performance and education spaces, a café and an exhibition area which properly protects our precious collection of Burns artefacts and manuscripts.
The next step? We’ll soon be issuing invitations to tender for a conservation architect-led team to guide the design and renovation of the site. These experts will ensure that the historic buildings are preserved with care, respecting the unique cultural and architectural significance of this place while transforming it into a 21st-century experience.
We will soon appoint a Director of Fundraising to help us raise the finance to deliver the final transformation.
This is an exciting moment for Ellisland, as we move closer to turning the farm – where Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne and Tam o’ Shanter – into a creative hub and must-visit destination. We can’t wait to take you along for the ride as we move forward with this transformational project.