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Rothbury nature appeal passes £26m as £30m goal moves within reach

The Wildlife Trusts’ campaign to secure the 9,500-acre Rothbury Estate in Northumberland has passed £26 million including pledges.

By The TEA Editorial Desk · 28 August 2026

Sunset over Lordenshaws on the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland Image: The Wildlife Trusts / Northumberland Wildlife TrustOriginal source

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A huge public fundraising effort to secure the Rothbury Estate for nature has moved within touching distance of its £30 million target.

The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust say more than £26 million has now been raised, including pledges, towards purchasing the entire 9,500-acre estate in Northumberland.

The appeal received a major boost when philanthropists pledged £5.5 million in a single week. Donations have come from local fundraisers as well as supporters around the UK and overseas, while a match-funding scheme is continuing into September.

The long-term vision is to keep the estate together and manage it for nature, farming and local communities. Plans include restoring peatland, wetlands, river corridors, woodland and scrub, while helping create a wider wildlife corridor through Northumberland.

The estate covers more than 3,800 hectares and sits at the heart of a proposed 40-mile connected landscape stretching from the North East coast towards the Scottish border.