Part of the Green Match Fund which has raised over £23million since its inception in 2021, the Earth Raise Match Fund appeal is a seven-day online match funding campaign dedicated to helping charities playing a vital role in tackling pressing environmental issues It is run in partnership with Environmental Funders Network (EFN).

For one week only, between midday Wednesday 22^nd April and midday Wednesday 29^th Northumberland Wildlife Trust will be running a week-long campaign to help secure the Rothbury Estate as well as protecting one of the UK’s most important strongholds for the cuckoo.

The cuckoo, a sleek, dove‑sized bird with a blue‑grey back, barred belly and a silhouette often mistaken for a kestrel or sparrowhawk, has long been a herald of spring. But its future is increasingly fragile with habitat loss, shrinking food sources and the pressures of a changing climate driving its decline. 

Since the 1990s, the UK population has declined by 71%, earning it a place on the Red List of the 2021 UK Conservation Status Report: the highest category of conservation concern.

The Rothbury Estate is a crucial stronghold for cuckoos. If sold in pieces to multiple buyers, its rich mosaic of habitats could be broken up and across the sweeping 3,800 hectares of the Estate, the bird’s unmistakable cuck-oo calling could start to fade.

With a fundraising target of £200,000, the Earth Raise Match Fund Appeal will help Northumberland Wildlife Trust purchase the remainder of The Rothbury Estate to practice regenerative agriculture, conserve rare and special habitats, protect the species already calling the estate home and restore degraded landscapes.

Thanks to a generous donor and Earth Raise, every donation made over the course of the week will be doubled, ensuring twice the impact.

Duncan Hutt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Director of Conservation says:

“We have until September 2026 to raise £30 million to buy the rest of the Rothbury estate and would be delighted if members of the public could help us create a wonderful natural heritage site to show the entire world how amazing this region really is. 

“And remember, every donation is doubled thanks to a generous donor and the Earth Raise Match Fund.”

To donate visit: www.wtru.st/rothbury-earth-raise