Two months to go: The Rothbury Estate appeal surpasses £20m milestone

The largest appeal in The Wildlife Trusts’ history needs a further £9m to reach its target as it asks public for ‘a momentous final effort’

The largest and most ambitious single fundraising appeal in the history of The Wildlife Trusts has now reached £20.7m thanks to the generous support of over 23,000 donors, including several high value pledges.

While daily donations are helping to make important strides towards the total, it’s now ‘crunch time’ for The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The project, backed by Sir David Attenborough, needs a momentous final effort from nature lovers around the UK and beyond to push the appeal over the finishing line.

The 9,500-acre Rothbury Estate in Northumberland—the largest piece of land to come to market in England for over 30 years—stands at a historic turning point, after more than seven centuries in the ownership of the Percy family. A haven for some of the country’s most iconic wildlife including red squirrel and cuckoo, and a place steeped in human history, The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have just over two months remaining to raise £30 million to secure the purchase of the entire Estate.

With the deadline fast approaching, what happens next will shape the fate of this land for generations. With permissions in place for commercial forestry on large parts of the Estate should the appeal be unsuccessful, the future for the landscape and the nature that calls it home sits in the balance.

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A close-up image of sphagnum moss, showing its dense, spongy texture and vibrant green color. The moss consists of small, overlapping leaves that form a soft, cushion-like mat, often found in wet, boggy areas.

Sphagnum moss at the Rothbury Estate © John Millard

An ancient rock carving. Hollows and grooves known as cup and ring marks can be seen on a large swathe of stone

Ancient rock carving at Lordenshaws © John Millard

Skylark - David Tipling/2020VISION

Craig Bennett OBE, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, says:

“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. Together, we can reach the £30 million needed to purchase this remarkable Northumberland landscape and to create a place where nature and communities can thrive side by side. In the words of Sir David Attenborough, ‘Please help us make this vision a reality.’”

Throughout the fundraising campaign, donations from £5 to £5 million have been received from far and wide. In recent weeks, just some of the generous donations received include:

Well-known North East brand Ringtons is helping to brew up a brighter future for The Rothbury Estate with a £50,000 donation that was used to help generate further funds through a public facing match-funded appeal.
A Northumberland cycling club – the Cycling Cranks - have gifted £1,000 to the appeal and are advising on how future access to the Estate might change to help enable more people to enjoy its spectacular views, hidden valleys and vibrant rivers.
The Samworth Foundation, an East Midlands based foundation who fund efforts to help people and nature worldwide, have given £650,000.

This summer, The Wildlife Trusts are asking everyone to stand shoulder to shoulder with Sir David Attenborough, President Emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts and a supporter of the campaign and help make the long-term vision for this amazing place a reality: a place where people and nature can flourish together.

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About The Rothbury Estate

The Rothbury Estate offers an unprecedented opportunity to protect and restore habitats for rare wildlife such as curlew, pine martens, beavers and golden eagles, as well as provide resilience against the ever-changing climate.

As the country battles the current period of prolonged hot and dry weather, and with drought now declared across almost three-quarters of England, The Rothbury Estate has the potential to use our greatest ally in tackling climate impacts; nature. Peatland and river corridor restoration, alongside woodland pasture creation, will enable the landscape to store more water and become more resilient to prolonged dry spells, whilst also preventing flash floods during periods of extreme rainfall and protecting livestock and soil health during extreme heat.

These benefits for local people are supported by our plans for farming, which has been an integral part of the history of the Estate for centuries; we are committed to it remaining at the heart of our future plans.

For the area beyond the Estate’s boundaries, this project will carry real significance. If successful, the appeal will place The Rothbury Estate at the beating heart of a vision for a 40-mile nature corridor across Northern England. Stretching from Druridge Bay on the Northumberland Coast to the Scottish English Border at Kielderhead, this corridor would cover 210,000 acres and provide an opportunity to create something truly transformational for nature, climate and people.

Editor's notes

Fundraising for the Rothbury Appeal: To date, The Wildlife Trusts have received major donor gifts of £5million, £1million and several individual donations of £100,000+ towards the £30m total, as well as thousands of other donations. See Rothbury Estate for Nature and the Nation.

Craig Bennett takes part in the Great North Run: On Sunday 13^th of September, Craig Bennett OBE, CEO of The Wildlife Trusts will be running the Great North Run to raise funds for The Rothbury Estate appeal. The country’s most famous half marathon is just 30 miles from The Rothbury Estate, with the iconic running route passing some of the most recognisable Newcastle and Gateshead landmarks before heading to the finishing line on the seafront in South Shields. To sponsor Craig and raise vital funds to help push The Rothbury Estate appeal over its own finishing line, visit Craig Bennett runs the Great North Run for The Rothbury Estate appeal

About the Rothbury Estate:

The Rothbury Estate in Northumberland has 9,486 acres which encompass woodland, moorland and important wildlife habitats including Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The Simonside Hills on the western side of the estate have an important place in the hearts of Northumbrians. By acquiring The Rothbury Estate, The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust aim to enhance the rich natural heritage of the Estate for future generations, create a sustainable future for local farmers and avoid the land being broken up into multiple ownerships, which would make access for the public more difficult.

The Estate’s dramatic uplands are already home to curlew, mountain bumblebee, lapwing and other waders, whilst its woodlands provide a refuge for endangered red squirrels. Cuckoo and merlin – the UK’s smallest falcon – are also found here. In spring, the Simonside hills are alive with the sound of skylarks singing high in the air as they mark out their territories and try to attract a mate. In summer, flowers such as harebell, wild thyme, devil's-bit scabious, maiden pink, rockrose and mountain pansy bring colour to the grasslands. Salmon and critically endangered eels swim in the Estate’s rivers and its riverside woodlands support rare summer breeding birds such as wood warbler, redstart and pied flycatcher.

But this rich tapestry of wildlife could be richer still, with the return of more species and in much greater numbers in the next decade. Longer-term and building on these foundations, we could also see secretive pine marten moving softly through the forests, beaver on the waterways and ancient breeds of cattle grazing in woodland glades.

Related announcements:

QUOTES:

Colin Smith, 4th generation family member and director, Ringtons

“As a family business, we understand better than most that some things are worth protecting for generations to come. This campaign aligns perfectly with the aims of The Ringtons Environmental Fund specifically established to support causes that are good for the planet. We hope this gift helps ensure Rothbury is still standing, wild and beautiful, for our grandchildren's grandchildren."

Ted Liddle, Cycling Cranks Organiser

“Cycling Cranks is a small cycling club in Northumberland with 50 members who wish to show their support for The Wildlife Trusts’ and Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s laudable ambition to purchase a 15 square mile area south of Rothbury to provide a higher level of wildlife management, improve public access and ideally repurpose the disused railway track which crosses the property as a Greenway path to be enjoyed recreationally by walkers, cyclists, horse riders and disabled people. It is a unique opportunity to provide new, managed countryside access with benefits for health and wellbeing. We only wish other outdoor active groups would follow our example to help progress this environment-focused and community-facing initiative”.