A “game-changing” £1m cash boost from the Scottish Land Fund has taken campaigners within £450,000 of their funding drive to double the size of Dumfriesshire’s newest nature reserve.
The clock is ticking as Langholm’s residents race to raise £2.2m to buy 5,300 acres of Langholm Moor from Buccleuch Estates – which has already extended the original deadline by two months to July 31.
The £1m Scottish Land Fund Award, announced on Wednesday, has been met with delight from Tarras Valley Nature Reserve’s estate manager, Jenny Barlow.
She said: “It has really turned the tide in our favour, and we are hugely grateful. This award from the Scottish Land Fund is a major game-changer.”
The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve was established last year following the successful first stage of the community buyout which, during the Covid pandemic, saw campaigners defy the odds to raise £3.8 million to buy 5,200 acres and six residential properties from Buccleuch in March 2021.
Jenny believes that the success of a second buy-out would allow the community “to put into action ambitious plans for tackling the nature and climate emergencies while boosting community regeneration throughout the reserve”.
She said: “Thanks to other generous donations, including from thousands of people from all over the world to our public crowdfunder, we are now just £450,000 shy of reaching our overall target. We’re going to work tirelessly to make this happen.”
With donations to the public crowdfunder surging past its £150,000 target, Jenny said they have decided to ask supporters to dig deep and give another £50,000 to help the cause by going online at: bit.ly/LangholmMoorAppeal.
Margaret Pool, chairman of Langholm Initiative which is behind the buy-out bid, said: “We could not have wished for a better result. This generous grant from the Scottish Land Fund will help us towards delivering on the promise we have made to our community.
“By implementing a programme of ecological restoration, wildlife conservation, community regeneration and by establishing a form of renewable energy, we hope to make a significant contribution to tackling climate change.
“This is an important step for Langholm Initiative, the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve and for future generations.”
“The award to Langholm Initiative, and the excellent work that community is leading, shows just what is possible.”
