Whittle Dene Appeal

Following the many generous donations towards our Whittle Dene appeal earlier last year. Thanks to your generous support we have completed the land purchase! We have now taken ownership of 42 acres of wild, beautiful and ancient woodland. This is a great opportunity to connect and improve biodiversity on a very special piece of land, safeguarding it for public use. The map below gives a broad view on the land involved.

Rare and unique

Whittle Dene is designated as a Local Wildlife Site for its ancient woodland, which is a priority habitat nationally and rare in Northumberland. A network of footpaths cross the Dene and it provides a beautiful stretch of broadleaved woodland to explore. In spring, bluebells and wild garlic cover the ground and the site is alive with birdsong. The Whittle Burn meanders through, providing vital resources for wildlife.

We will protect the ancient woodland by removing non-native trees, replanting and encouraging scrub as a buffer habitat around the edges.

Biodiversity gains and community links

The land also includes grassland and farmland, which have potential for restoration to species rich meadow, if managed appropriately. There are also 11 cabins used as 'holiday homes' by the owners, which have historical significance as they date back to the early 1900s and served as getaways for workers from Tyneside's industrial past.  Whittle Dene CIC, a local community group, already operates in the woodland, running training and educational events. This fits with our community-led approach and they are already having great success in connecting the local community with nature.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust also has good links with several other neighbouring landowners, including the Woodland Trust, Newcastle University and Northumbrian Water, which will make working at a landscape scale easier in the future.

Key targets:

• Connecting Northumberland’s landscapes
• Protecting rare, ancient woodland
• Improving biodiversity
• Helping the local community
• Securing public access

Thank you for your donations!

The purchase of Whittle Dene will connect and improve biodiversity on this very special piece of land as well as safeguarding it for public use for the future.  

Keep an eye out in Roebuck and on social media for updates as we begin the stewardship of this part of Whittle Dene. 

We look forward to welcoming you to Whittle Dene soon, and thank you again for supporting Northumberland Wildlife Trust and for connecting people with nature, caring for landscapes and protecting wildlife in our area. 

Thank you