Sir David Attenborough backs bid to buy Rothbury Estate

Sir David Attenborough has backed conservationists' bid to raise £30 million to buy the entire huge mountain estate.

Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust are trying to complete the purchase of Rothbury Estate, a 15 square mile (38.8 square kilometer) site of former grouse moorland, woodland and farmland, with plans to preserve wildlife, restore moors and promote organic farming.

With a year left to raise the £30 million needed to secure the entire estate or risk splitting it up and selling it, Sir David has urged people to back the bid.

In the video, the naturalist and TV presenter said time was running out to save the Rothbury estate.

It is the largest piece of land to come up for sale in England in decades and is in the heart of what nature experts say could be a 40-mile (64-kilometer) “wild” corridor stretching from the coast to Kielder and the Scottish border and including the Simonside Hills.

Rothbury Manor was owned by the Duke of Northumberland's youngest son, Lord Max Percy, and was in the family for around 700 years.

In October 2024, the partnership between Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Wildlife Trusts was given two years to raise the £30 million needed to purchase the entire estate.

Sir David said: “People know and love the Simonside Hills that rise here, walking along the ridges and listening to the calls of curlews, looking out for red squirrels and admiring the views as they scramble among the rocks.

“They walk along its remote trails and admire the amazing rock art left by our distant ancestors who once lived here.”

He said the Wildlife Trusts would work with local farmers and the communities who lived and worked in Rothbury to look after the area, breathe new life into its habitat and create a place where people and nature could thrive side by side.

“Please help us make this vision a reality,” he added.

Around £8 million has already been raised in donations of between £5 million and £5 million, but the battle for the remaining two-thirds continues. An online fundraising appeal has been launched.

Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt said the purchase was a “unique opportunity” to do something meaningful for nature on a large scale by restoring and protecting habitats and increasing access to the countryside.

The estate is home to rare wildlife including curlews, mountain bumblebees, lapwings, red squirrels, cuckoos and gyrfalcons, as well as endangered Atlantic salmon and eels, but conservationists say nature could be even richer.

Their plans include attracting large herbivores, including ponies, hardy cattle and eventually even bison, to graze the land naturally. It is hoped that martens, beavers and golden eagles will be able to recolonize the landscape.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Craig Bennett, chief executive of the Wildlife Trust, said the Rothbury estate was the largest piece of land to come up for sale in England for more than 30 years and is larger than the city of York.

“That's why this is such a unique opportunity,” he said.

“We know that the UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, and I have seen many graphs throughout my life that indicate nature is going downhill.

“We want to make a difference and start giving back to nature on a grand scale.”

The trusts said local people would benefit from greater access to the estate, which would allow for the construction of new trails, the development of a visitor and education center and the creation of new jobs.

Mr Pratt described the Rothbury estate as being located on an area that could become a “special area for nature restoration” – the only opportunity of this scale in England.

“There's already a fantastic and interesting landscape here, but when you look at the details, much of the wonderful biodiversity, like everywhere else, is not as there should be,” he said.

“It’s a magnificent canvas for restoring nature to this beautiful landscape.”