Wildlife Trusts say focus will be nature recovery

THE Wildlife Trusts hope that their purchase of the Rothbury Estate will create a “nature corridor” linking the Northumberland Coast to Kielder.

- DANIEL HALL

The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust signed a purchase agreement for the estate in October 2024 and launched an appeal for £30m to complete the deal over the next two years. They have reached about 20% of their target, with Wildlife Trusts’ CEO Craig Bennett saying he has “spoken to billionaires around the world” in attempts to secure investment.

Speaking from Lordenshaw Hill Fort in the Simonside Hills, one of the estate's most notable landmarks, Wildlife Trusts bosses promised the Rothbury community were at the heart of the charities’ “vision” for the site, which is still in development.

John Devlin, chair of Rothbury Parish Council, said he was “in trepidation” when the land was put up for sale in July 2023 by the Duke of Northumberland’s son Max Percy. The estate, which had been in the Percy family for around 700 years, was the largest block of land to come to market in England in 30 years.

John said: “We weren't sure what was going to happen, we were worried it was going to be broken up into smaller units, such as forestry.