A former weekly newspaper editor is looking for a new home for his herd of alpacas.

John Lavery and his wife Karen Hepworth-Lavery own six alpacas, with two more expected in late spring, but have so far been unsuccessful in their attempts to find a suitable area of land close to their home, near Market Deeping, in Lincolnshire, to home them.

The South American creatures are currently on a farm in Essex, but the couple want to bring them much nearer home, ideally within a 10-mile radius of Maxey.

John edited the Sleaford Standard for more than 11 years before leaving in 2012.

Karen told the Spalding Guardian: “We had hoped to have them up here last summer but, unfortunately, our negotiations for a field near the village fell through at the eleventh hour, so now we are back to square one and looking for suitable land to rent, or even buy.

“The alpacas are primarily going to be pets, but we are hoping to be able to offer some opportunities for people to come along and meet them, and even walk with them.

“We are particularly 
interested in working with local schools and especially children with special needs for whom the opportunity to meet with alpacas can be a very rewarding and uplifting experience.

“We are ideally looking for around two to three acres of fenced land, with an available supply of water.”