Major milestone in bid to buy the Rothbury Estate

CHARITIES which have agreed one of the largest land deals in the UK in the last 30 years have reached a “huge milestone” in their bid to buy the Rothbury Estate.

- By 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.

In April, it was announced that they had reached “around 20%” of the target - around £6m. A little under three months on and the total raised now sits at £8m - 27% of the overall total - with around 15 months left to drum up the remaining £22m.

National Wildlife Trusts’ CEO Craig Bennett previously told The Chronicle that he had “spoken to billionaires around the world” in attempts to secure investment.