Wildlife trusts raised £30 million to buy the Rothbury estate
About 25,000 people gave £17 million toward the purchase of a 3,800-hectare estate in Northumberland, and the Wildlife Trusts say the £30 million target is met.
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The Wildlife Trusts say they have raised £30 million to buy the Rothbury estate in Northumberland. The Guardian reported on October 30, 2026, that about 25,000 people contributed £17 million of that sum. The land covers more than 3,800 hectares, an area the paper compared with the size of Athens, and campaigners called it the largest piece of land in single ownership to come up for sale in England in more than 30 years.
The appeal ran for about two years after Max Percy, the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son, put the estate on the market. Sir David Attenborough, who had backed the campaign, thanked donors on Friday and said the vision of a landscape where nature and people thrive side by side can become a reality. Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said he felt elated after a long haul and humbled by the public support.
The Guardian described hills, moor, valley woods, the River Coquet, and farm fields on the estate. The money is for the purchase and the recovery work the trusts want to do there. It is not a count of animals already returned.
For the classroom
The Guardian reported on October 30, 2026, that wildlife charities in England raised 30 million pounds to buy land near Rothbury, in Northumberland. The estate covers about 3,800 hectares. About 25,000 people gave 17 million pounds of the money. Sir David Attenborough thanked them and said the land could be a place where nature and people thrive side by side. The fundraising took about two years. Mike Pratt, who leads Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said he felt elated and humbled. The purchase is so the land can be cared for. It does not mean every missing animal is already back.
- Why did so many people send money for one piece of land?
- What did Sir David Attenborough say he hoped the estate could become?
- Where is Rothbury, and what kind of landscape is around it?
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