Cumbria Wildlife Trust is hoping to secure this impressive piece of wilderness, which includes Skiddaw summit, for nature.

It is nationally recognised as an important site for its geology and ecology and is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Area of Conservation. Skiddaw Forest, also known as Back o' Skidda', will be the highest nature reserve in England. You have an opportunity to help ensure this area, which is currently nature depleted, is returned to a mosaic of habitats on a truly landscape scale. 

Are you able to contribute to this vitally important appeal to bring about nature’s recovery?

Never before has purchasing a piece of land this large and significant been a possibility. It is only because of the incredible support of you, our members and supporters, that we find ourselves in a position to dream this big.

The story so far...

Thanks to generous offers of funding from Aviva, supporters and charitable funders, we have secured gifts to cover 80% of the purchase price. In order that we don’t miss out on this opportunity, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation have very kindly stepped in to temporarily bridge this gap in funding, giving us time to raise the remaining balance.

We now need to raise £1.25 million to fully secure this purchase. Esmée Fairbairn will own 20% of the land until we can raise this shortfall, and they have given us a limited amount of time to achieve this. 

Please give what you can - every single donation, big or small, will help get us a step closer to making this happen, and is a vote of confidence for nature's recovery. 

Keep checking back on this page - it will be updated with any additional donations received offline, be they from individuals or grant giving bodies. Your involvement in this appeal is critical. Please share this page far and wide if you can, and if you are in a position to make a monetary contribution, please click on any of the donate buttons on this page. 

Key actions and outcomes we hope to accomplish in our bid to buy this land:

Creation of a 620-acre Atlantic rainforest

As part of a 100-year vision for the site, planting will be with sessile oak, birch, rowan, holly, alder, willow and hazel in a manner that is sympathetic to the aesthetics of the landscape. This will allow a rich tapestry of life to grow on and around these trees and eventually ferns, mosses, liverworts and lichens will seem to cover every surface, from the ground to boulders, crags, and even the trunks and branches themselves. 

This work will be registered with the Woodland Code for monitoring, with work and evaluation undertaken with a dedicated site officer. 

Restoration of 992 acres of existing (but damaged) peatland 

This will ensure that the area is an effective, long-term carbon store, and the rejuvenation of the sphagnum mosses on areas of the site will promote the growth of new peat. Together with a programme of land restoration, this will lead to healthy and balanced habitats promoting increased biodiversity and vitality in the species that depend on the uplands to survive. This work will be registered with the Peatland Code or other nature finance scheme for monitoring and we have a specialist peatland team that will undertake this work. 

The creation of a new, large nature reserve (our 43rd)

This is part of a strategic plan to put nature firmly in recovery by making more space for it and connecting habitats at a landscape scale. 

Fully securing the purchase of Skiddaw Forest and realising our vision for what it could become will only be made possible with your support.

Any contribution, large or small, is gratefully received – together, we can raise enough to secure this incredible opportunity. 

Purchasing this 3,000 acres of wilderness will have a tremendous impact on our capacity to reverse nature's decline. 

The purchase of Skiddaw Forest presents an unparalleled opportunity for nature and Cumbrian wildlife, and with so many species in decline, buying and protecting more land is more crucial than ever. 

This is the largest fundraising ask we have ever made. Your donation - regardless of size - is crucial to ensuring that the purchase of this iconic piece of land is realised. 

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

N.B. If we are lucky enough to raise more money than is needed for the purchase, any surplus will be used for the restoration work. If, for some reason, we are unable to complete the purchase, we promise to contact all our supporters to offer a refund.