The Wildlife Trusts has asked the general public to help it raise £9m over the next two months so it can complete the purchase of an historic estate in Northumberland.
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.
The charity announced today that £20.7m has been raised so far and asked the public for a “momentous final effort” to reach the £30m needed.
Over 23,000 donors have already contributed to the appeal, the charity said, including several high value pledges.
This includes £5m awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in March to take the total to £16m at the time.
The appeal remains the largest in the Wildlife Trusts’ history with the site described as “the largest piece of contiguous land to be on the market in England in the last 30 years”.
Wildlife Trusts hope to protect and restore habitats to rare wildlife on the site and restore peatland and river corridors to help it become more resilient to prolonged dry spells.
Should the site purchase fail, Wildlife Trusts said there are permissions in place for commercial forestry on large parts of the estate, which the charity said means that “the future for the landscape and the nature that calls it home sits in the balance”.
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said: “We’ve been bowled over by the response to the appeal to secure this beautiful and inspiring place, with funding and offers of help pouring in from all over the UK and further afield.
“We’ve still got a bit of a climb to get to the summit, but the thousands of messages of personal support show just how strongly people feel about the Rothbury estate and believe in our vision for its future, and I feel sure we can do it.
“With just over two months remaining, we are steadfast in our determination to secure the estate for people and nature.”
