Sir David Attenborough support of Rothbury Estate appeal sees £800,000 boost to donations
A charity’s appeal to purchase Rothbury Estate has seen an £800,000 boost since Sir David Attenborough voiced his support.
With just one year left for The Wildlife Trusts, in partnership with Northumberland Wildlife Trust, to raise the £30million needed to purchase the estate, Sir David Attenborough released a video backing the appeal.
He urged: “The Wildlife Trusts have launched an appeal to buy this very special place. They will work with local farmers to care for the area and breathe new life into its precious wildlife habitats.
"With the communities who live and work at Rothbury, The Wildlife Trusts will create a place where people and nature can thrive side by side. Please help us make this vision a reality.”
Since the film went live on October 29, the trusts have received another £834,022 from 12,045 donations. This was also helped along by a successful fundraising craft event at the Gosforth Jubilee Hall last week.
Catherine Kirkham, Northumberland Wildlife Trust fundraising manager said: "We've had an amazing response to Sir David's film and we cannot thank him enough for his support.
“It's been really heartwarming to see the amounts of money coming in for the appeal - from £5.00 to somebody walking into our Gosforth headquarters with a cheque for £5,000.
Catherine added: "We've still got a long way to go, but we are really encouraged that the local community is behind us as evidenced by the number of people who took part in our Rothbury fundraising craft event last week."