The Durham Wildlife Trust has announced it successfully reached its £20,000 fundraising target for the Magical Meadows appeal. The campaign, which concluded on 11 May 2026, relied on match-funded donations from supporters to reach the goal.
The funds were raised during a seven-day online event held from 22–29 April 2026, organised by The Big Give. Through this Earth Raise initiative, donations made by the public were doubled by a coalition of partners, which included a £1 million contribution from the Postcode Green Trust, supported by Postcode Lottery players.
The money is earmarked for the protection and restoration of magnesian limestone grasslands, an internationally rare habitat. Nationally, only 400 hectares of this grassland exist, with nearly two-thirds located in the North East. The Trust currently manages approximately 100 hectares of this land, which supports sensitive species such as the northern brown argus butterfly and the dark red helleborine.
One of the sites set to benefit from the project is the Raisby Hill Grassland Nature Reserve. This 16-hectare site, located near Coxhoe, is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and contains primary magnesian limestone grassland.
Barbara Hooper, Head of Nature Recovery at the Durham Wildlife Trust, recorded a video thank-you message to acknowledge the support received from the public. Across the UK, the wider Earth Raise 2026 campaign raised a total of £10.9 million for 338 environmental charities.
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