Members of the public are being asked by Northumberland Wildlife Trust to help with its latest appeal. The trust is to secure the Rothbury estate before the looming deadline for the sale in September.
The 3800 hectare Rothbury Estate is not only a beautiful place but is also a living breathing refuge for the wildlife that can be found in its rivers, in the sky and on the land at a scale very rarely found anywhere else in the country.
If people can support the appeal, then that will help to restore and protect the streams and rivers within the estate where fish swim and otters glide. It will create a better environment for the heath goldsmith beetle to thrive and ensure that the area remains a stronghold for merlins to flourish in.
The Wildlife Trusts and Northumberland Wildlife Trust were able to secure some of the estate and put it into conservation ownership in October 2024, due to donations and philanthropic loans.
As a result of that, the trust is hoping to expand the knowledge of conservationists, grassland recovery is underway as are their peatland restoration plans, while good relationships have been formed with community groups, neighbouring estates and universities. Northumberland Wildlife Trust want to keep this momentum going.
What is more, every donation made through the rest of August will be doubled thanks to a £100,000 match funding pledge from the Dixon Foundation and Ringtons. All this will help improve nature recovery at the Rothbury Estate.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust chief executive Mike Pratt commented:
“We are enormously grateful to Ringtons and The Dixon Foundation for their amazing match funding pledge and to everybody who has supported our commitment to nature’s recovery via individual donations, and appeal support.
“This is an opportunity which won’t present itself again and as we only have a few weeks left to raise the money to buy the rest of the Estate we would be absolutely delighted if members of the public could help us create a wonderful natural heritage site to show the entire world how amazing this region really is.”
To donate please see here .
Discover the wonders of West Chevington this August
In other news from Northumberland Wildlife Trust, members of the public are invited to a special open day on Monday 10 August at West Chevington.
For this day only, visitors will be able to park on site between 10 am and 3 pm and explore the site.
West Chevington is an example of how nature can recover from being an industrial landscape, as it used to be a former open cast coal mine near Druridge Bay. Altogether the site is 327 hectares and is part of the wildlife charity’s work in combating global warming. On 10 August, members of the staff from Hauxley Wildlife Reserve nearby will be available to talk about the work that the trust does and of its future plans
There is also a special three-mile biotech walk connected to the recent Biodiversity Boost Project and this starts at 10.30 am on Monday 10 August
This walk can be booked here
Northumberland Wildlife Trust estates officer for Druridge Bay, Lee Rankin commented:
“Whether you just want to wander round the site or have a more in-depth tour, the event next Monday is something worth adding to the list of things to do this summer, especially as cars can’t usually be parked on the site, but on this occasion, we have made an exception and opened the gates.”
Blyth student teams up with Northumberland Wildlife Trust for marine week beach clean
Katarina Martin, a marine biology student in Newcastle University has teamed up with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust to lead a community beach clean. This is part of the trust’s national marine week celebration.
Sadly, litter is still a significant threat to marine environments and Katarina is now encouraging local people to play their part in protecting the coastline to a special marine week event. The marine week beach clean and seaweed spotting event will take place on Sunday 9 August from 10.30 am to 12:30 am at Blyth Beach.
Katarina commented:
“The North East coast has my heart as I’ve grown up around it and it is so criminally underestimated.
“To me, the ocean is the most important thing on the planet. It provides life to us and if there’s no ocean then there’s no humans. Northumberland has a diverse natural existing beneath the waves, including seagrass meadows and soft corals, not to mention the wonderful dolphins which appear each year. The rocky shores also contain such hidden gems.
“The trick is noticing the unnoticed, which is what I will be doing at the event, so come and join me”
All equipment will be provided free of charge, although advance booking is required to ensure sufficient
resources are available for everyone attending. Free tickets can be booked here .
The event forms part of Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Championing Nature Project, which has been made possible through support from The Championships, Wimbledon and Emirates.
To find out more about the Championing Nature Project please see here .
Friends of Bylines Network
There has never been a greater need for grassroots journalism that investigates the stories that really matter, holds power to account and champions the voices of everyday citizens. We are proudly powered by volunteers but what we do isn’t free.
STAND WITH US for independent, citizen-led journalism that makes democracy stronger, and you will even get some exclusive benefits.
