Wildlife appeal closes in on £30m target

Conservation groups aiming to raise £30m to buy a vast upland estate are within touching distance of their target following a £1.9m government pledge.

The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are looking to acquire the 9,500-acre Rothbury Estate in its entirety as part of plans boost wildlife, restore bogs and promote nature-friendly farming.

Their fundraising efforts - now standing at £29m thanks to the latest donation - have attracted backing from the likes of Sir David Attenborough with the window for public donations running until the end of this week.

However, some members of the Northumberland farming community said they viewed the project as "a folly".

The wildlife groups previously purchased part of the estate, including the Simonside Hills, from the Duke of Northumberland's son, Lord Max Percy, in 2024.

If successful in buying the remainder, the organisations claim there is the potential to develop a "40-mile nature recovery corridor stretching from the North East coast to Kielder on the central Scottish border".

It could also see a reduction in the number of sheep from 1,500 to 500 with the number of cattle quadrupled to 200.

The government grant was announced on Monday at the UN Global Biodiversity Conference, COP17, taking place in Armenia.

Craig Bennett OBE, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, said the funding would "take us another step closer to realising our vision for one of the largest nature recovery projects England has ever seen".

He added it was a "stamp of approval" for the project on the back of "millions generously donated by philanthropists, charitable funds and thousands of members of the public".

Earlier this year, though, tenant farmer Chris Armstrong, who oversees 1,000 acres (405 hectares) close to the site, warned local opinion was split .

He told the BBC: "I would put it very much akin to the Brexit vote. I would think it would be that finely split.

"I think the majority of the farming community see this as a folly."

Follow BBC North East on X , external , Facebook , external , Nextdoor and Instagram , external and listen to Radio Newcastle on BBC Sounds .