A Dumfriesshire town’s bid to raise £2.2m to buy 5,300 acres of Langholm Moor from Buccleuch Estates is going to the wire this weekend.
Last minute discussions have been under way all week with potential major fundraisers as Langholm’s residents and the team behind the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve drive the appeal towards Sunday’s deadline.
Campaigners are also appealing for more donations to the online public crowdfunder at: bit.ly/LangholmMoorAppeal as the clock ticks down over the next 48 hours.
Success would mean they could double the size of the region’s newest nature reserve and have ambitious ideas to protect and improve the environment and bring much needed jobs to the Muckle Toon.
A spokesman for the community buy-out, Richard Bunting, said: “We’re on the final big push to get the second stage of this historic community buyout over the line by Sunday. Our public crowdfunder has surged past its £200,000 target thanks to the generosity of so many people locally and worldwide, with hundreds of donations pouring in over the past week and some £10,000 having been received over recent days alone.
“Along with other major donations, this amazing support means we are now in touching distance of raising the overall target of £2.2m to double the size of Tarras Valley Nature Reserve.
“Since we announced a potential £400,000 shortfall last week, the team has also been in positive discussions with several major donors to bridge the remaining gap.
“Some of these discussions are ongoing, and as with the first stage of the buyout, it looks like this will go down to the wire.
“It’s been nail-biting stuff, but the team remains very positive that we can get this over the line in the final few days. We’ll be announcing whether or not the buyout has been successful as soon as we can.”
Campaigners have already seen Buccleuch extend the original deadline by two months with Sunday being make or break for the reserve plans.
The Tarras Valley Nature Reserve was established last year following the successful first stage of the community buyout which, during the Covid-19 pandemic, saw campaigners defy the odds to raise £3.8 million to buy 5,200 acres of Langholm Moor and six residential properties from Buccleuch in March 2021.
The reserves estate manager Jenny Barlow 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”.
South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth is also urging “people to consider giving what they can through the crowdfunder”.
He said: “The first buy-out was a truly outstanding achievement by the team behind the bid and fantastic for the Eskdale community.
“This was the south of Scotland’s largest ever buyout and the community of Langholm really are history makers.
“But we can and should go further.
“We cannot underestimate the positive impact this has on the local economy through eco-tourism and the boost it gives to the local environment through better protection and enhancement of a site of special scientific interest. I hope a deal can be done to bring the whole target site under the ownership of the community.”
