We can now develop our plans to care for this very special place

A VITAL stage in a venture to protect and enhance nature on a 9,500-acre Northumberland estate can now go ahead after winning initial lottery backing.

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The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust have received £250,000 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund which will help lay the foundations for the Rothbury Estate project.

The Wildlife Trusts bought part of the estate a year ago and have until autumn of 2026 to raise £30m to complete the purchase of the land.

Its sale represents the largest area of land to come on the market in England in 30 years.

If secured and protected with its natural habitats restored across the entire estate, it has great potential to make a significant contribution to nature recovery in the region.

Made possible thanks to National Lottery players, the funding will kick-start work to transform the land as part of a 40-mile nature recovery corridor.

The charities will use the funding to progress their plans across the estate of peatland, moor and woods.

It will enable: