We're already working with others on land outside our nature reserves and that's helping to bring about nature’s recovery.

To help further this work for wildlife, we're setting up a land purchase pot. It'll allow us to react to opportunities - to buy and secure land - as they arise, with the aim of creating more habitat for nature to thrive. Please could you donate to make this happen?

Every donation to the land purchase pot means we'll be able to safeguard more habitat and protect it for the future of Cumbria's wildlife. 

Please... are you able to contribute to this vitally important pot to bring about nature’s recovery?

Your donation will be doubled

If you can donate, this is an opportunity for your gift to our land purchase pot to be doubled.

This is because a generous donor has agreed to match fund all gifts up to a total of £200,000. How amazing is this?

Here's an example of how your donation stacks up:

• A donation of £500 is doubled by our benefactor = £1,000
• If your donation can be gift aided, 25% (£125) is added to your original gift = £1,125.
• We'll aim to at least double any amount in our purchase pot through external funding. This means an original donation of £500, could generate a total of £2,250.

It all adds up, and every gift makes a difference.

As mentioned above, we hope to make your money go even further by securing grant and charitable trust funding. Being able to show that we have the backing of our supporters, you, massively increases the chance of success when making a grant application.

Initially, we're aiming to raise £400,000 to allow us to respond to opportunities as they arise. This means there'll be less risk of losing land if it goes to auction, because we'll have funds readily available.

It also means that we may be able to secure a private sale rather than it going onto the open market where there'll be competition against other interests, such as commercial development.

Securing the future of more land and restorating it for biodiversity will only be made possible with your support, so please consider contributing to this appeal.

Below are examples of previous land purchases supported by our members, and how these areas have been transformed for nature's benefit. They're part of a growing network of land that's supporting nature’s recovery.

You'll be part of our next success story by contributing to our land purchase pot. Please donate if you can...

Examples of land your support has already helped secure for nature’s recovery:

Bowber Head Farm

Bowber Head Farm was originally gifted to the Trust, but we’ve recently purchased 11 acres of additional fields to extend the amount of land the Trust now looks after for wildlife.

Smardale Link

We purchased a corridor of land (12 acres) to link Smardale Nature Reserve to Waitby Greenriggs Nature Reserve to provide 5 miles of connected wildlife habitat through the landscape.

Witherslack Mosses

We purchased additional land at Nichols Moss (13.6 acres) to extend the area being restored for nature. We are also exploring other land purchase opportunities in the Witherslack Mosses area.

Staveley Woodlands

Craggy Wood (40 acres) was purchased with the help of the local community to secure its future for both people and wildlife. Land that links Craggy Wood to Dorothy Farrer’s Spring Wood is now being planted with trees by volunteers to create a larger, more joined-up woodland.

Any contribution, large or small, is gratefully received – that’s why we’re calling this a ‘pot’.

Every single £1 added will be combined with all the other donations made to the pot and, together, can have an enormous impact on our capacity to support nature's recovery.

This is one of the biggest public fundraising challenges we've faced, and it comes at a difficult time with the cost-of-living crisis. 

If you're unable to help with this appeal at this time, please know that your support as a member, volunteer or supporter is already hugely appreciated and we know you're doing all you can.

Thank you