The Wildlife Trusts and one of its member charities have completed the purchase of an historic estate in Northumberland following a record fundraising campaign.
In 2024, the charity purchased part of the 3,800 hectare Rothbury estate and launched a £30m fundraising appeal with Northumberland Wildlife Trust to buy the whole site.
It announced in August this year that £20.7m had been raised so far and asked the public for a “momentous final effort” to reach the £30m needed.
Today, the charity announced that the 9,500-acre site, “the largest piece of contiguous land to be on the market in England in the last 30 years”, had been purchased.
The appeal received grants and donations from the government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Monday Charitable Trust, Samworth Foundation and Ringtons, while gifts from more than 25,000 members of the public raised over £17m.
It was the largest appeal in the Wildlife Trusts’ history and also received backing from broadcaster David Attenborough, which generated more than £1m in donations in just one week.
Wildlife Trusts hopes to protect and restore habitats to rare wildlife on the Rothbury estate site and restore peatland and river corridors to help it become more resilient to prolonged dry spells.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the charity, said: “Thanks to the support of tens of thousands of people, funders including the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and several major donors, we now have an incredible opportunity to restore nature at scale.
“Working alongside local communities, farmers and fellow land managers who know and care for this landscape so deeply, we can help this special place continue to thrive for generations to come.
“Thank you to everyone who made this possible. This is just the beginning, and we look forward to sharing the next exciting chapter of The Rothbury Estate's story as it evolves.”
