Rothbury Estate appeal takes giant stride towards fundraising target with £5.5m of new donations
A flood of donations has put plans to buy the Rothbury Estate within touching distance of the £30m fundraising target.
The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have now raised over £26m, including pledges, ahead of this autumn’s deadline after a number of philanthropists have come forward to offer further support and pledges totalling £5.5m.
Mike Pratt, chief execitive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust said: “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.”
He added: "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.”
The 9,500-acre estate is on the market after more than seven centuries in the ownership of the Percy family.
The Trusts’ ambition is to work with the local community to shape this landscape for the benefit of all, responding to the challenges of climate change and nature loss.
This includes habitat conservation and restoration, improving 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.
They also say that with more trees, scrubland, shade for livestock, and a sustainable farming plan, food production with nature-friendly agricultural practices can be supported.
However, their has not been universal support.
The bid has led to concerns from some farmers and local stakeholders who have stressed the importance of preserving the long-standing farming communities in the area.
A proportion of the funding received has been given specifically to support an extension of a match fund appeal.
A £500,000 donation during August 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.