Rothbury Estate, USA News (Northumberland): Sir David Attenborough has issued his heartfelt thanks after conservationists completed the purchase of an extraordinary landscape. The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have completed the largest land purchase in England for decades after buying up the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland.
Sir David, the Government, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and individual donors funded the purchase of the 9,500-acre moorland estate, worth £30million. The scheme will introduce more nature-friendly farming, restore bogs and promote wildlife on a site the size of Athens.
Public and Institutional Support
Sir David, president emeritus of The Wildlife Trusts, led calls for donations to fundraise the ambitious project. He stated that supporters answered the call in their thousands to secure the future of the estate.
The legendary presenter’s backing generated more than £1million in donations in just one week, early in the project. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) supplied £1.9million for the purchase, while the National Lottery Heritage Fund provided £5million. More than 25,000 people from 50 countries around the world donated a total of £17million.
Future Plans for the Estate
Eilish McGuinness, chief executive at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, noted that the transformational project has the potential to deliver nature recovery at a grand scale by working with local communities. Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trusts, described the purchase as a defining moment for Northumberland and the North East.
Some of the estate has already been bought, and projects have begun surveying wildlife, landscapes and history. Sir David has previously praised the remote estate where walkers can scramble over crags and admire the prehistoric rock art.
