Rothbury for Nature and the Nation

This is a once in a generation opportunity to secure the largest contiguous area of land to come on the market in England in 30 years – for the benefit of nature and the nation. It is a huge opportunity to create a vast swathe of nature-rich land running from the east coast all the way across the region and up to Scotland – joining up like-minded landowners, estates and charities en route.

We are very excited to have secured the Rothbury Estate for future generations to enjoy, and we are looking forward to working with local people to create an exemplar of how nature, community and farming can be integrated – something that Northumbrians can feel immensely proud of.

The charities aim to preserve the rich heritage of the estate, create a sustainable future for local farmers and avoid the land being broken up into multiple ownerships, which would make access for the public more difficult.

The current purchase includes the Simonside Hills and a mixture of lowland, woods, riverside and grazed farmland – the western side of the Estate – and this area is especially valued by the urban communities of Newcastle and North Tyneside. The fantastic wildlife of the area includes curlew, red grouse, merlin, cuckoo, mountain bumblebee, emperor moth and red squirrels.

We live in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world – and the UK is not on track to meet its target of protecting 30% land for nature by 2030. The entire Rothbury Estate in Northumberland represents the largest sale of contiguous land anywhere in England for the last 30 years. It presents a golden opportunity to create a flagship where a regenerative approach to farming could enable nature to be restored at genuine landscape-scale and contribute to the UK’s commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030.

This is a thrilling moment for The Wildlife Trusts who are working collectively – coming together from across the UK – to create a national flagship for nature recovery on a grand scale for the very first time.

Stretching over 3,800 hectares (9,500 acres), our vision is of a 40-mile-long wildlife-rich corridor, connecting the coast at Druridge Bay to the Scottish border at Kielderhead National Nature Reserve, with the Rothbury Estate at its heart.  This is a unique opportunity to secure a very large area of land and manage it in a way that contributes positively towards nature’s recovery. Due to its vast size, we can look at restoring whole ecosystem processes in a way that would be impossible to do elsewhere. This could include grazing of cattle and other livestock, more meadowlands, broadleaved woodland, scrub and wood pasture, and re-naturalising of wetland and river corridors.

It represents an unprecedented opportunity to create a flagship site for showcasing nature’s recovery at scale in England – and showing how linking-up nature-rich areas increases habitat connectivity and gives nature a better chance to thrive.

We’re looking forward to working with local people to create an exemplar of how nature, community and farming can be integrated – something that local people can feel immensely proud of.

We will be talking and listening to people who live and work in the area over the coming months to evolve a long-term plan for Rothbury that respects its traditions and the livelihoods that depend on it. We will preserve and enhance public access and recreation opportunities so that people can enjoy this wonderful place.

We want to explore Rothbury’s potential for revitalising the local economy and delivering multiple societal and environmental benefits. We will be thinking about how to give wildlife a boost alongside regenerative agriculture, public access, education, green jobs and sustainable tourism.

The Rothbury estate has enormous potential to create a flagship model for upland agriculture, which could demonstrate a sustainable future for local farmers in the light of changing subsidies. We want to come up with a vision for the future together.

We have completed the purchase of the first part of the estate, which includes the Simonside Hills and a mixture of lowland, woods, riverside and grazed farmland. The second tranche of the estate represents the larger portion of the estate’s land value. We are contractually obliged not to specify purchase prices, however we have been extremely lucky to have the first purchase phase supported by generous individuals who have lent or given several million pounds towards it.

We now need to raise £30 million to secure the entire estate and start work on the project to put nature at its heart, consulting every step of the way with local communities. Our £30 million appeal covers the land costs, other associated fees, management costs, surveys and a new staff team. We have 2 years to raise £30 million for all these costs. Should we not reach our funding target, we will still own the first tranche, which was purchased on 29 October 2024.

We would be delighted to hear from anyone who wants to support this project. If you are a corporate, charitable trust or philanthropic institution/individual, please complete this form to find out how you can get involved. Or, you can donate today.

The Rothbury Estate was listed for sale in May 2023, and the agent, Knight Frank, have been in discussions with The Wildlife Trusts since summer 2023. We have been negotiating for many months over this agreement, prior to the election of the new government. This purchase has been completed with the assistance and expertise of several solicitors. We paid the market rate for a large area of upland and we are looking forward to working alongside local people to maximise its potential for wildlife and for the farming community.

We think this initiative will deliver great benefits for local communities and the region. The Wildlife Trusts are a grassroots federation of charities – and Northumberland Wildlife Trust is largely made up of staff, trustees, volunteers, members and supporters from within the county. Northumberland Wildlife Trust has a mission is to create a wildlife-rich North East for the benefit of everyone.

The interests of tenants and tenant farmers on the estate have been carefully considered and it will be a priority for Northumberland Wildlife Trust to establish and maintain a positive, productive, and sustainable relationship with them. All legal tenancy agreements will be honoured.

We are very keen to work closely with the existing tenants, including the existing farmers on the estate, to develop the long term strategy. We are hoping that many of them will share our vision for a wilder landscape, with nature-friendly farming integrated into it, and want to come on the journey with us.

Given some of the changes in agricultural policy and payments in recent years, there is good reason to look forward to a more prosperous future for the tenants and the wider community.

It is worth noting that there are now several examples of where Wildlife Trusts have taken ownership of farms with positive results, such as Pentwyn in Radnorshire, which used to employ one person and now employs four. Its new market garden produces fruit and vegetables for local consumption where the farm had not previously done so, all while producing great outcomes for nature.

Currently, only one person is employed to look after one of the farming businesses on the Estate. They are aware that they are now employed by The Wildlife Trusts.

We hope that over time our involvement with the estate will create jobs for the local community and boost the local economy.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust will be primarily responsible for managing the estate to begin with. We have vast experience of land management. Founded in 1971, we directly manage over 70 nature reserves extending to over 4,400 ha. We also manage landscape-scale nature recovery projects, such as Druridge Bay and the Hadrian’s Wall nature corridor, and we contribute to large area projects, such as The Border Mires and Kielder.

However, the entire Rothbury estate is too big to be taken on by any Wildlife Trust individually. The concept of a “national flagship” has been created to describe how the estate can be run on behalf of all 46 Wildlife Trusts, with a particular operational lead coming from Northumberland Wildlife Trust.

In the first instance, the acquisition is being undertaken by The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT). This is partly because RSWT holds relationships with some key national donors, and has previously administered large financial transactions on behalf of the wider movement (such as funds from Aviva, BIFFA Award, Ecological Restoration Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund).

Longer term, a new charitable trust will be set up to own and manage the Rothbury estate. This will always have trustees appointed to it from RSWT (representing The Wildlife Trust movement as a whole) and from Northumberland Wildlife Trust. It will also likely include other trustees appointed to offer a range of experience from land management, visitor management and natural capital.

The Wildlife Trusts manage almost 100,000 hectares of land, and own 26 working farms from lowland arable to upland hill farms. These are used to demonstrate wildlife-friendly farming methods and several are managed in partnership with local farmers.

On our nature reserves we practice sustainable environmental land management using techniques such as conservation grazing. The Wildlife Trusts collectively own more than 7,500 grazing animals, including traditional and rare breed sheep and cattle, native ponies, red deer and even water buffalo. We also work with (and turn to) local farmers to help manage wildlife sites. Grazing is the most natural form of management for certain habitats. Livestock can access areas that machinery cannot, and the impacts of grazing are slower than other methods, such as burning or cutting, which means that less-mobile wildlife can thrive. 

We will be doing surveys and monitoring of the upland area that we have acquired to work out the best form of management to benefit wildlife, peatlands, water management and sequester carbon – whilst also speaking to the local community about a future vision.

Natural regeneration of trees, scrub and wood pasture may be appropriate in some areas – but we have yet to work out a management plan.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust is ready to take lead responsibility on local consultation with residents and local communities relating to the development of Rothbury estate. This has already started with those directly concerned, such as farming tenants, but it was not possible to go further due to the non-disclosure of the acquisition until completion.

We intend consultation to start soon after acquisition of phase one and to be continuous as necessary throughout phase two. We want to actively engage communities associated with the estate and wider landscape – as well as forging links to Newcastle and North Tyneside. All these communities are stakeholders in the Rothbury Estate. The link between urban and rural is a special theme within this long-term project reconnecting people to this historic landscape.

We will develop quickly a consultation programme. Northumberland Wildlife Trust will initially hold linked events to draw interest and contact local interest groups and specific stakeholders.

The intention will be to enable and support a sense of community ownership for the development of plans over the long term. This could extend to community-led initiatives around cultural and conservation aspects locally, and also community food growing.

Key partners will be existing community groups in and around Rothbury town and farming communities and groups. Please contact NWT if you would like to be involved.

We will also work closely with the Northumberland National Park Authority in relation to community engagement building on their work in this area. The National Trust are also important co-community consultation partners.

The western part we have purchased – which includes the Simonside Hills and a mixture of lowland, woods, riverside and farmland – is of huge value for nature, with parts of it protected for nature, with designations including Site for Special Scientific Interest and large parts in the National Park.

We are very keen to purchase the balance of the estate, if fundraising is successful, because it is only by doing this that we will secure the opportunity for whole ecosystem recovery.

The real opportunity is not just about the Rothbury Estate, but the whole landscape in which it sits – a natural swathe stretching from the Scottish border and Kielder Forest all the way to the Northumberland coast. Rothbury Estate is at the heart of a patchwork of estates that are in the ownership of organisations, families and individuals that share our vision, such as the National Trust (which owns Cragside immediately to the north, and Wallington immediately to the south), Hepple Estate, College Valley, The Northumberland National Park, Kielder Forest, and some existing Northumberland WT reserves too.

Please support us to secure the future of the Rothbury Estate! Donate here.

We’ll be working on a management plan for how the Rothbury Estate will be developed. As part of this, we’re keen to work with current tenants and farmers on the Estate to help shape the future vision for nature’s recovery. This could include a regenerative approach to agriculture and some changes to the patterns of grazing, more meadows, new native woodland, scrub and wood pasture, and further naturalising of wetland and river corridors.

The Wildlife Trusts believe that everyone should have access to nature and will not be removing any current rights of way and much of the upland portion is open access land. Currently, we only own part of the Estate, but our intention is to purchase it in its entirety, to avoid the land being broken up into multiple ownerships, which would make public access more difficult. In time, we would like to not only preserve public access and recreational opportunities but enhance them where appropriate – so that everyone can enjoy this wonderful place. If you would like to support our efforts to help make this happen, please consider donating to our appeal: www.wildlifetrusts.org/rothbury-appeal