Campaigners have been left disappointed after a bid to save a beloved farm for the community fell short.
When Hardens Farm, off London Road in Chippenham, was put up for sale by Wiltshire Council, a campaign was launched by local mums Miriam Dann-Gandy and her friend Emma.
The pair had hoped to purchase the farm, which was on the market for £750,000, and transform it into a children’s play barn, cafe, outdoor community space, and animal sanctuary.
They believed this would have filled a gap in the market in Chippenham for outdoor play areas for children.
But despite raising funds through Crowdfunder, which have since been refunded, they fell short of the asking price by the deadline and their bid was rejected.
Ms Dann-Gandy said: “I am sad because the farm holds a special place for a lot of people and has a lot of sentimental value.
“We’re still glad we tried and have no regrets because the response was so positive, I just wish we had more time.
“Coming in from scratch, just two introvert mums, to rally the support we did and get the momentum and traction we did in such a short time makes us really proud.”
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Wiltshire Council reportedly informed the campaigners they had rejected the bid because they had received higher offers.
Ms Dann-Gandy is hopeful that any potential buyer will not demolish what remains of the farm and will instead preserve it in some way.
She added: “Our hope is whoever buys the farm won’t demolish it, there was a good vibe around the farm and I feel like we really could’ve achieved something with more time.”
The farm had previously been part of a huge parcel of land earmarked for 1,500 homes and other infrastructure on the eastern edge of town.
This project stalled years ago and the council decided to put the land on the market earlier this year.
Despite this setback, Ms Dann-Gandy still hopes that she and Emma will be able to open a similar venture for the community elsewhere.
She said: “This all came about because we had been looking for land for an under-fives play space, so we will go back to the drawing board.
“We will continue to look for somewhere because there’s nothing like that in Chippenham and we think it would appeal to people here and in the surrounding areas.”
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