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Largest appeal of its kind takes giant stride towards finish line with £5.5m donated in a week

Ambitious campaign to purchase The Rothbury Estate in Northumberland receives its biggest boost to date as £30m deadline looms

Within days of the announcement that the Rothbury Estate appeal had reached the £20m milestone, the largest and most ambitious single fundraising appeal in the history of The Wildlife Trusts has reached new heights. 

A number of philanthropists have come forward to offer further support and pledges totalling £5.5m, joining donations from around the world to help fund the purchase of the historic Rothbury Estate for nature and the nation.

Providing the biggest surge in donations towards the two-year fundraising campaign to date, the ambitious campaign is now within ‘touching distance’ of the £30m total needed to purchase the estate in its entirety. The news comes as the autumn fundraising deadline fast approaches. 

The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have now raised over £26m, including pledges, of the £30m needed. 

Throughout the campaign, ongoing local support and fundraising efforts have been helping to make The Wildlife Trusts’ vision for the Rothbury Estate a reality. Many different fundraising activities have been taking place; from wreath-making workshops and selling Christmas trees to creating hand-felted mushrooms and bunnies to be sold from a store on Rothbury high street. Donations have also been received from all around the world, including from Finland, Bermuda, the United States of America and the Philippines. 

Mike Pratt, CEO of Northumberland Wildlife Trust says:

“It has been both heartening and humbling to see how many people have been inspired by this opportunity and are choosing to support our success at Rothbury. It is clear that stories of hope and positive action are resonating with people far beyond The Rothbury Estate’s boundaries. 

“Having marked the incredible £20m milestone moment only last week, it has been the most extraordinary few days for the appeal and we’re really excited to now be within touching distance of the £30m needed to purchase the entire estate. This has been a remarkable collective effort and we’re incredibly grateful to everyone that has supported so far – now let’s make it happen, let’s get this over the line.”

A proportion of the funding received has been given specifically to support an extension of a match fund appeal. Set up to run throughout August with a target of £100,000, the match fund proved highly successful and achieved its total within a week. In recognition of this huge swell of support, an incredible £500,000 donation will allow The Wildlife Trusts to extend the match fund appeal through to the end of September, with the potential now to raise £1.2m towards the campaign total. 

Donate and see your donation doubled

A wide view of rolling moorland covered in purple heather, stretching into the distance under a partly cloudy sky

Heather on Simonside, part of The Rothbury Estate © The Wildlife Trusts

The River Coquet flowing through a lush green woodland on a sunny day. Trees with dense foliage line both banks, with several branches arching over the water. Sunlight reflects on the river's surface

River Coquet, Rothbury © John Millard Photography

Wide landscape view of the Simonside Hills on the Rothbury Estate, with a pile of weathered rocks in the foreground and rolling green moorland stretching into the distance. The hills rise along the horizon beneath a bright blue sky filled with large white clouds.

View of the Simonside Hills on The Rothbury Estate © John Millard Photography

Where there’s opportunity, there’s hope

Future plans for The Rothbury Estate are big and bold - just as they need to be to respond to the challenges we all face from climate change and nature loss. At 9,500 acres, this heart-shaped landscape will, over time, restore nature in abundance through habitat conservation and restoration. It will improve the land’s resilience to hot and dry summers by re-wetting the landscape, creating pools and ponds, restoring peat bogs, and creating healthier river corridors to help hold water back both in periods of drought and significant rainfall. 

With more trees, more scrubland, more shade for livestock, and a sustainable farming plan that supports great food production with nature-friendly agricultural practices, the opportunities to make real and positive impacts are huge. The vision of working side by side with the local community to shape this landscape for the benefit of nature and people is coming close to being a reality. 

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 13th 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.

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An otter popping its head up out of a river, with greenery visible, blurry in the background and in the reflection off the water

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