Lambs are among the attractions Doonies has for children

The Friends of Doonies group wants to rescue the popular children's farm.

They aim to raise the maximum amount of cash to make a transition from council to trust partnership possible.

Friends of Doonies said they wanted to turn their anger into positive action. Aberdeen City Council said cutting funds had been a "difficult" decision.

Campaigner John Sleigh said: "We have a fantastic group of people with quite a few tricks up their sleeves."

We have a talented group willing to put their shoulder to the wheel and come up with a solid proposition to help create a sustainable future for the farm John Sleigh Doonies campaigner

He told the BBC Scotland news website: "There has been a lot of anger, we now want to take it to the next step and be positive to take things forward."

Mr Sleigh explained: "Our aim is to save Doonies as a trust so that children can enjoy, learn and benefit from a city farm. It has been done elsewhere so there is no reason why it can't be done here.

"A business plan group will tie down some of the inspirational ideas that were debated last night.

"We have a talented group willing to put their shoulder to the wheel and come up with a solid proposition to help create a sustainable future for the farm."

'Difficult decision'

The business plan group looking for the future vision will meet on Monday, 24 March, at the Cove Bay Hotel at 1930 GMT.

The fundraising group then plans to meet on Wednesday, 26 March, at the same time and place.

Both meetings are open to anyone interested in saving Doonies Farm.

The children's farm has been described as a valuable resource in Scotland by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST).

Aberdeen City Council said the plan to close Doonies to save �100,000-a-year, and sell the animals, was a "difficult" decision.

The council added that there was no statutory duty to run a rare breeds farm.