Cumbria Wildlife Trust announces the launch of a major public appeal to help buy Skiddaw Forest, including the summit of Skiddaw.
The charity 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.
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.
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 decline of nature in National Parks to help address the impacts of the climate emergency and the wider wildlife crisis.”
Skiddaw, a prominent feature of the Lake District, has seen its natural woodlands dwindle over the centuries, with deforestation and agricultural use stripping the landscape bare. The planned restoration will re-establish a temperate rainforest, a rare ecosystem in the UK, which once spanned the western coastal areas of Britain. Such forests are vital for wildlife, carbon sequestration, and flood prevention.
The purchase and restoration of the land will make Skiddaw England’s highest nature reserve, setting a significant precedent for conservation efforts across the country. The rewilding project will also support endangered species that thrive in temperate rainforest conditions, including mosses, lichens, and native woodland birds.
Claudine Blamey, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aviva, says:
“We’re delighted to see Skiddaw in the Lake District chosen as the latest site in our partnership with The Wildlife Trusts, creating England’s highest nature reserve in such an iconic location. Restoring temperate rainforest, peatlands and other habitats on Skiddaw will help the Lake District become more climate ready and provide communities and visitors the opportunity to experience the wonder of British rainforests for years to come.”
Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington, says:
“As a lover of the Lake District fells, and a keen advocate for the environment and biodiversity, I can’t think of a better organisation to manage Skiddaw Forest than Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Their tireless work has really helped to put wildlife into the consciousness of the public and put nature back onto the map.”
Writer and television presenter Julia Bradbury, says:
“This is an amazing opportunity for nature recovery on such a large scale. I’m delighted Cumbria Wildlife Trust can begin restoring precious montane habitats on this iconic Lakeland fell which is still close to my heart in so many ways. Our natural world needs a lot of help and it’s visions like this that can make a tremendous difference. Let’s help keep these wild spaces protected for generations to come.”
If you’d like to help secure the future of Skiddaw Forest for nature, please visit cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/donate/skiddaw or call Cumbria Wildlife Trust on 01539 816300.
Photo: Skiddaw in the morning mist by Roger Ward. Licence: CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
