Sir David Attenborough has thrown his support behind a £30m fundraising campaign to buy one of England’s largest private estates, describing the project as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to restore nature on a grand scale.
The Rothbury Estate, a 15-square-mile (38.8 sq km) area of upland moorland, woodland and farmland in Northumberland, has been put up for sale for the first time in centuries. The estate was previously owned by Lord Max Percy, the youngest son of the Duke of Northumberland, whose family has held the land for more than 700 years.
The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are leading the effort to raise the £30m needed to buy the land outright within the next year — or risk it being divided and sold to private buyers.
So far, about £8m has been raised from donations ranging from £5 to £5m, but campaigners say they urgently need further support to secure the remaining funds.
‘Please help us make this vision a reality’
In a video appeal released on Friday, Sir David Attenborough urged the public to back the campaign, calling the Rothbury Estate “a precious landscape that must be protected for future generations.”
“People know and love the Simonside Hills that rise here,” he said. “They walk the ridges, listen for the calls of curlew, watch red squirrels, and admire the views as they scramble among the crags. This is a place where people and nature can thrive side by side — but only if we act now.”
Sir David said the Wildlife Trusts’ plans to work with local farmers and communities could “breathe new life” into the land by restoring habitats and encouraging wildlife to return.
A landscape rich in wildlife
The Rothbury Estate sits at the heart of what conservationists describe as a potential 40-mile “wild corridor”, stretching from the North Sea coast to Kielder Forest and the Scottish border.
The area already supports rare species such as curlew, red squirrels, lapwings, merlin, mountain bumblebees, and Atlantic salmon, but experts believe its biodiversity could be dramatically increased through careful restoration.
Plans for the estate include rewetting peat bogs, replanting native woodland, and introducing large grazing animals such as ponies, hardy cattle and potentially even bison to help regenerate the landscape naturally.
Conservationists also hope that species like pine martens, beavers and golden eagles could one day return to the region.
‘A great canvas to restore nature’
Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trusts, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Rothbury is “the biggest piece of land to come on the market in England for more than 30 years.”
“We know the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world,” he said. “We want to bend the curve and start bringing nature back at scale.”
Mike Pratt, head of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, called the estate “a great canvas to restore nature in a beautiful landscape” and said the project could create new jobs, visitor opportunities, and educational programmes for local communities.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something meaningful for nature on a large scale,” he said.
If successful, the acquisition would mark one of the largest conservation land purchases in modern British history.
