Major donors help Rothbury Estate bid move closer
Duncan HuttConservation groups are inching closer to the £30m they need to buy the entirety of a vast upland estate.
The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust said they had received several major pledges in the past week - worth about £5.5m in total - in a boost to their bid to buy the 3,800 hectare (15-sq-m) Rothbury Estate in Northumberland.
They have just under £4m left to fund raise by the end of October. They plan to boost wildlife, restore bogs and promote nature-friendly farming on the site.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust head Mike Pratt said the organisations were within "touching distance" of the £30m target.
The £26.2m amassed so far includes pledges and donations.
The trust said it was working to have low-interest loans in place by the end of September to ensure it could complete the £30m purchase in the autumn, but hoped it would not have to draw on these.
Pratt said it had been the "most extraordinary few days" for the appeal which saw multiple wealthy individuals make large pledges to the cause. The trust did not give more details about the pledge-makers.
"This has been a remarkable collective effort and we're incredibly grateful to everyone that has supported so far - now let's make it happen, let's get this over the line," he said.
Duncan HuttThe Wildlife Trusts has already bought a section of the land but is seeking donations to allow it to buy the rest.
Rothbury Estate was owned by the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son, Lord Max Percy, and had been in the family for about 700 years.
The estate includes 12 farms, more than 1,800 acres (728 hectares) of woodland, 23 residential properties, a caravan park and a pub.
The Wildlife Trusts has said it wants to reduce the number of sheep on the estate by about two thirds from 1,500 to 500 and quadruple the number of cattle to 200.
The current fundraising effort gained support from people around the world after Sir David Attenborough backed the appeal last year.
But the plans have not been popular with everyone, including some from the farming community who said they saw the plans as "a folly".