We are delighted to announce that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded us a substantial grant to help save Ellisland for future generations.
The development stage award of £489,207 is a key step in securing the future of the farm where Burns wrote the international anthem to friendship, Auld Lang Syne.
The grant offer supports a project called: “Saving the Home of Auld Lang Syne”. It marks a major step towards restoring the threatened buildings and the surrounding landscape, which have been maintained for decades by hard working volunteers.
Saving Ellisland will cost more than £7 million, and the Heritage Fund award will enable us to launch a major international fund-raising campaign to deliver our vision, as well as commissioning work from conservation architects and curators.
Dr. David Hopes, acting chair of the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust thanked, everyone who played the national lottery and said the grant was potentially transformational:
“We are hugely excited by this announcement. Time is running out to conserve this most authentic, most beautiful, and most important home of Robert Burns.
“But with the goodwill and support of our local community, our members, partners, and stakeholders, we can deliver on our vision to make Ellisland ‘The Place to Fall in Love with Burns.’
Since taking over the site in 2020, the Robert Burns Ellisland Trust has worked hard to develop new income streams and raise awareness of its immense importance. It became an accredited museum last year, was praised for recreating the site in the Minecraft computer game, and has given employment to several young people.
This new investment from The National Lottery Heritage Fund marks a turning point in our journey.
Joan McAlpine, our Project Director, was responsible for preparing and submitting the successful National Lottery Heritage Fund application and said she was delighted at the outcome.
“The place where Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne is one of Scotland’s most important and at-risk historic sites.
“Burns chose Ellisland for its poetic inspiration, and we are honoured to carry forward his vision by developing creative residencies to inspire new generations. We are deeply grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for kick-starting our project.”
The trust long term vision will require a second application to the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the delivery stage of the final project. The purpose of the development project is to raise funds and demonstrate the viability of our ideas.
It includes support to market our existing holiday accommodation and to pilot cultural events and environmental initiatives – building on Burns’s own work as an improving farmer who also valued nature.
We hope to restore Burns’s 1788 cottage to the time when Robert and his new bride Jean Armour moved in.
We also need to develop a safe museum display space for our extensive collection. The vision includes a plan to develop Ellisland’s barn into a Centre for Song—a space that will continue to nurture creativity, just as Burns envisioned when he called it “sweet poetic ground.”
Caroline Clark, Director of The National Lottery Heritage Fund for Scotland, noted: “Ellisland is of immense significance in the story of Burns and to Scotland’s cultural heritage. Heritage Fund support will enable the Trust to fully develop plans to secure the future of the farm and share Burns’ legacy with future generations.”
This is an exciting new chapter for Ellisland. We would like to again extend our deepest gratitude to National Lottery players whose support has made this possible.
Together, with the continued help of our community, partners, and stakeholders, we are confident that Ellisland Farm will remain a beacon of creativity and a lasting tribute to the genius of Robert Burns.