Today has seen the launch of a major public appeal to help buy Skiddaw Forest, including the summit of Skiddaw.
The appeal by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust aims to restore a huge, lost area of Atlantic rainforest as part of its 100-year vision for bringing back wildlife to the lower slopes of what will be the highest nature reserve in England.
Stephen Trotter, CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, says:
“This is a unique and exciting opportunity to create England’s highest nature reserve and, working with farmers and the local community, we urgently need to put more wildlife back into a much-loved and spectacular part of Cumbria. We’re extremely grateful to Aviva and other donors for the contributions already made towards the purchase of Skiddaw Forest.
“Now we’re asking the public to give whatever they can to help us secure this site and to bring more nature to this very special place.
“Skiddaw Forest offers a unique opportunity for wildlife and climate resilience at a major scale in the Lake District National Park. We have to reverse the widely-reported decline of nature in National Parks to help address the impacts of the climate emergency and the wider wildlife crisis.”
Thanks to a partnership with Aviva, £5 million has been raised and additional support has been secured from charitable funders towards the asking price. Now the charity needs to rise the final £1.25 million and is appealing to the public to secure the purchase.
