The charity has announced that its application for a £750,000 grant has been successful, giving the appeal a massive boost and moving it within sight of the £1million target.

The campaign to secure the future of the reserve, which has been managed by Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust for over 50 years, was launched following the end of commercial sand and gravel extraction which helped shape the site for almost a century.

Having agreed to purchase the site, which the charity feels is in its DNA and which provides a safe haven for over 1,000 species including otters and bitterns, the wildlife trust was keen to reach its ambitious funding goal as quickly as possible.

The public response to the appeal has already been amazing with over £130,000 donated in just 12 days. And, the news that the charity is set to receive the highest possible grant from Biffa Award, as part of the Landfill Communities Fund, has given it renewed confidence that its long-term goal of owning the site, which attracts over half a million visitors a year, is in reach.

Speaking about the substantial £750,000 grant from Biffa Award, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Paul Wilkinson said: “Nowhere connects people and wildlife like Attenborough Nature Reserve and when the opportunity to purchase the site presented itself, we knew we had to act quickly. Raising the £1million needed to buy and invest in the site is a tall order for a charity of our size - so to get this amazing news from Biffa Award after receiving such a wonderful initial response from the public is fantastic.”

Since being opened by Sir David in 1966 Attenborough Nature Reserve, situated on the edge of Nottingham, has become one of the best loved nature reserves in the UK – a fact demonstrated by nearly 2,000 donations already received towards the appeal from as far afield as the Isles of Scilly and Shetland.

The public appeal was launched on Monday November 25 with the backing of Sir David, who has also recorded a video message encouraging people to donate.

Despite the fantastic support from Biffa Award and from the public, the charity is not complacent, it still needs to raise a further £120,000 to achieve its appeal target – and you can help!

To contribute to the appeal visit the appeal page. 

Every penny donated really will help to secure this much-loved nature reserve for many generations to come.