Northumberland Estates represents the business interests of the Duke of Northumberland and the Percy family and, in addition to Alnwick Castle, has ownership of Syon House and Park in London and the Albury Estate in Surrey.

Northumberland Estates is a traditional estate and major landowner. Alnwick Castle has been in the hands of the Percy family for over 700 years. Over the centuries, the Estate has sought to enhance and maintain the land under its ownership and improve wildlife habitats while supporting rural communities. Currently Northumberland Estates manages some 40,500 ha of land with over 8,000 ha farmed in-hand and the rest in the hands of tenant farmers.

Each year the Estate plants some 50,000 trees and hedges with tenant farmers adding to this total. The Estate has entered into a wide variety of stewardship schemes targeted at improving habitats for a variety of species from ground nesting birds to pollen and nectar mixes for insects, moorland restoration projects and work to improve water retention and reduce flooding.

Northumberland Estates also has links with many environmental and wildlife charities, and more recent projects include grey partridge and red squirrel conservation, re homing hedgehogs and rivers conservation, in particular on the River Aln. The Estate also works to educate future generations on farming and other rural issues through close links with organisations such as the Countryside Trust.

Colin Barnes, Director at Northumberland Estates says: “Northumberland Estates is delighted to support the work of Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The Estates is currently involved in a wide range of conservation and bio-diversity projects, both in Northumberland and elsewhere.

“As a business, environmental projects have always been a part of what we do, but with the spotlight so firmly on climate change and as a major land owner, we plan to accelerate such initiatives.

“Projects already in the planning stage involve large scale tree planting, carbon capture and habitat creation. We hope to achieve this by working in alignment with other private, public and voluntary agencies across Northumberland and Tyneside, including the wildlife charity.”   

Mike Pratt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Chief Executive says: “We are delighted Northumberland Estates has joined us a corporate member and by doing so underlined the synergy between the work of the Estate and the Trust, over many years, in landscape, habitat and species conservation.

“The impact Northumberland Estates already has, and is aiming to increase in relation to carbon capture, habitat creation, tree planting and species protection is already impressive and is a very important part of the positive change we advocate towards nature’s recovery. We are keen to work alongside them in partnership towards realising this ambitious vision.”