Sir David adds his voice to call to help buy estate

SIR David Attenborough has backed a bid to raise £30m to secure the Rothbury Estate in Northumberland.

- EMILY BEAMENT AND DAVID HUNTLEY Reporters

The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are attempting to complete the purchase of the estate, a 15 square mile tract of former grouse moor, woodland, farmland and streams and rivers.

There are plans to boost wildlife, restore bogs and champion naturefriendly farming on the estate, which is the largest area of land to be put on sale in England in decades. The land sits in the heart of what nature experts say could be a 40-mile “wild” corridor of protected landscapes, nature reserves and wildlife-focused estates stretching from the coast to Kielder and the Scottish border.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt said the purchase was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to do something meaningful for nature at a large scale through restoring and protecting habitat, rewilding, increasing access to the countryside and producing sustainable food.

The Journal previously reported that the land was put up for sale in 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.