Langholm Moor Second-Stage Community Buyout

We are absolutely over the moon to announce that, together, WE DID IT!!!!!

Together, we have made history by successfully raising £2.2M to double the size of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in what is the largest community land buy out in the South of Scotland.

The generosity of so many people locally, nationally and worldwide has been amazing. Our heartfelt thanks go to every donor, supporter and volunteer who helped us overcome what so often felt like impossible odds.

We could not have done this without the combined efforts of absolutely every single individual who has pitched in along this epic journey to ensure we arrived at this incredible milestone. Your messages of support have kept us going especially during the times we felt like we we’re going to make it.

In our closing days, thousands of pounds continued to pour into the public crowdfunder which was just totally incredible, there were significant donations of £300,000 from Alex Gerko, Founder of algorithmic trading firm XTX Markets, £100,000 from Anne Reece of the Reece Foundation, and £50,000 from John Muir Trust.

We are also so grateful to the Scottish Land Fund, Rewilding Britain, Dumfries and Galloway Regionwide Community Fund, our major private anonymous donor as well as the thousands of public donors through Go Fund me and community fundraisers who have all helped us to ‘repeat the impossible’. Together, we secured our second stage buy-out in just 9 months, you are all amazing!!

This is a truly historic result for the community now and for future generations. We also hope our story will inspire other community-led nature recovery projects across Scotland and beyond. We know that communities can be powerful forces for positive change and we are living proof.

The community owned Tarras Valley Nature Reserve will soon span a total of 10,500 acres. This is where the hard work really begins, we’re ready for it and we are so excited. We can’t wait to welcome you here!

Thankyou for everything you have done to help make this historic achievement possible. Here’s to a very bright and hopeful new chapter.

Let’s finish what we started! 

A race against time to double our nature reserve and build an ambitious legacy for nature, community and climate. 

22/07/2022 - URGENT CALL FOR SUPPORT – PLEASE KEEP DONATING

We’re on the final big push to get our historic community buyout over the line by 31 July – and we need your help!

It’s just amazing to see this crowdfunder surging past its £200,000 target thanks to the generosity of so many people worldwide. With other major donations, it means we are in touching distance of raising our overall target of £2.2m to double the size of Tarras Valley Nature Reserve.

Yet we still have an overall funding shortfall. We are in positive discussions with major donors to bridge the gap. We can do this. We’re so close. But it’s going down to the wire.

So every pound donated now gets us a step closer. Please donate if you can – to help make history happen for nature, climate and people. Your donation could help tip us over the line.

Thank you so much for all the ongoing support. You truly are helping make something very special happen for people and planet in Southern Scotland!

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Our community here in Langholm, in Dumfries and Galloway is setting out to “finish what we started” and double the size of our vast new nature reserve. We have launched the ambitious stage two of the biggest ever community buyout in the South of Scotland. 

The Langholm Initiative charity aims to raise £2.2 million to buy 5,300 acres of Langholm Moor and 3 residential properties from Buccleuch Estates. This was the second area under the original sale that funding deadlines did not allow us to progress at the first stage buy-out.

This would increase the size of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve to 10,500 acres and boost plans for community regeneration, including nature-based tourism opportunities, alongside helping to fight the nature and climate emergencies.

To read more about our plans for the reserve, you can view our prospectus here - TVNR Prospectus

The nature reserve was created earlier this year after our historic purchase of a similar-sized swathe of the wildlife-rich and culturally important land from Buccleuch, in a fundraising drive described as an “impossible dream”. Together, with supporters from around the world, we made this dream a reality and we need your support again! 

There is now a race against time to secure the additional 5,300 acres. The land will be kept off the open market for a very limited time, and the community needs to raise the funds by next May 2022. Raising these funds means that the community will be able to restore this land into a wildlife rich haven, a vast legacy for future generations. 

We know it is a lot to ask in the current situation, however, please donate what you can. This project provides hope for the future and helps in the battle against climate change while securing this land for future generations. 

On behalf of the people of Langholm and the global community, Thank you.

What are we trying to do? 

The total cost of purchasing the land (5,300 acres) and properties is £2.2m. 

The Langholm Initiative have applied to the Scottish Land Fund and are in discussion with numerous other funders to raise the funds we need. We’re continuing to investigate a number of funding options which we hope will help us towards this figure.

We are delighted that a private donor has kick-started the fundraising by pledging £500,000 towards the purchase. This is a great start and the highest compliment for the work being done by the community following the first stage buy-out.

​We have seen the power of what can happen when people come together and we will only do this again if people are able to pitch in and give what they can. 

Will you join us in making sure this iconic area of Scotland's landscape is protected forever?

Rewards

As a thank you for your kind contribution we have put together rewards which can be accessed through different levels of donation. 

If you make more than one donation the total amount you donate will be the reward you can choose to receive. If you do make more than one donation please leave a comment to let us know. This will make it easier for us to add them together.

Donations up to £100

Thank you! We hugely appreciate it and will do a big public thank you via our social media channels. (Unless you donate anonymously, or let us know you would prefer us not to)

Donations over £100 up to £400

Bronze: Name on a welcome sign at entry points to community owned land.

Donations over £400 up to £2,000

Silver: Same as bronze plus an annual virtual update pack for the first 5 years. A tree will also be planted in your name in our new native woodland.

Donations over £2,000 up to £50,000

Gold: Same as previous two levels plus an invitation to a guided visit to the land.

Donations over £50,000

Platinum: Same as previous levels plus you will be invited to an annual dinner hosted in Langholm and attended by those working on the project.

You do not have to receive a reward. Please leave us a comment with your donation if you do not want to receive any further information from us.

Please remember to tick the Gift Aid box, it makes a lot of difference.

On behalf of the people of Langholm and the global community, thank you!! 

Use of Donations 

The total amount we need to raise is £2.2m. We have applied to the Scottish Land fund and hope to succeed by raising the remaining amount through a number of sources.

In the event that we do not meet our target, we will withdraw from the sale.

If we raise more than is required additional funds will be used to kickstart projects on the land.

Should we have to withdraw the Langholm Initiative will offer a similar alternative proposal for the use of donations. You will also have the option of having donations returned. Unfortunately, we will not be able to refund any transaction fees or deductions charged by the funding platform.

More information about The Langholm Initiative:

An award-winning development trust for Eskdale, working to help individuals reach their full potential, and make ours a great place to live, work and visit. Working on employability, enterprise, anti-poverty and environmental protection and education.

https://www.langholminitiative.org.uk/