Lordenshaw Hill Fort from the air. Image by The Wildlife Trusts.
One special place and one last chance to secure it
This August, Northumberland Wildlife Trust is calling on members of the public to help with its latest appeal to help it secure The Rothbury Estate before the looming September purchase deadline.
As well as being a beautiful place, the 3,800-hectare Rothbury estate is a living, breathing refuge for wildlife - in its rivers, on the land and in the sky something which is scarcely found at this scale anywhere else in the UK.
Support for the appeal will help protect and restore the estate’s streams and rivers where otters glide and fish swim, create a richer landscape for the rare heath goldsmith beetle to thrive in and ensure this
Estate remains and stronghold for merlins, the smallest bird of prey, to flourish in.
Thanks to donations and philanthropic loans, The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust were able bring part of the Estate into conservation ownership on the 29th October 2024.
Since that date grassland recovery is underway, wildlife surveys are expanding conservationists’’ knowledge of the landscape, peatland restoration plans are well underway, and long-lasting partnerships have been formed with universities, community groups, and neighbouring estates.
The momentum towards something wonderful is in place, but all that is needed now is to secure the future of the whole Rothbury Estate.
Now, thanks to a £100,000 match funding pledge from The Dixon Foundation and Ringtons, every donation made throughout the rest of August will be doubled with all funds raised, including any funds raised over our target amount, will help with nature recovery at The Rothbury Estate.
Mike Pratt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Chief Executive says:
“We are enormously grateful to Ringtons and The Dixon Foundation for their amazing match funding pledge and to everybody who has supported our commitment to nature’s recovery via individual donations, and appeal support.
“This is an opportunity which won’t present itself again and as we only a few weeks left to raise the money to buy the rest of the Estate we would be absolutely 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.”
To donate visit www.wildlifetrusts.org/appeals/rothbury-estate-match-appeal-august-2026