While Middleton Moor itself spans the equivalent of around 76 football pitches, its strategic location will help link several surrounding wild spaces, creating a wildlife corridor spanning more than 1,000 acres. 

Together, these places reflect the Trust’s belief that good-quality nature isn’t a luxury, and that everyone should be able to connect with nature in their neighbourhood and live within 15 minutes of a thriving, nature-rich space. 

Inspired by a shared commitment to create a wilder, more nature-rich Derbyshire, the Trust’s Middleton Moor appeal captured the hearts of thousands, raising an astonishing £182,000 in public donations on the run up to Christmas.

Alongside the funds donated by more than 2,300 passionate members and supporters, a Biffa Award grant of over £825,000 has secured the land and will support an ambitious, landscape-scale restoration project to rewild the moor, reconnect habitats, and unlock its full potential for nature’s recovery. 

The Biffa Award is a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across England and Northern Ireland as part of the Government's Landfill Communities Fund. The award is a major milestone in delivering the Trust’s vision of a wilder Derbyshire where wildlife and people thrive together. 

These funds will support the creation of wildlife-rich habitats, including wildflower meadows alive with bees, butterflies and moths; healthy grasslands where skylarks and curlews can thrive; and scrubland and woodland areas that provide homes for green hairstreak butterflies, bullfinches, and tawny owls. The project also hopes to create more access to this wild space, offering people the chance to connect with nature just a short distance from the High Peak Trail. 

This exciting new space for people and wildlife is part of the Trusts pioneering vision to secure landscape scale sites across Derbyshire designed to create a connected network of nature-rich spaces close to where people live.

Dave Savage, Head of Landscape Recovery for the north at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust said:

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has given, shared, and championed this appeal. It’s thanks to the collective strength of our supporters and the support of Biffa Award that we have reached this pivotal moment.

“Securing Middleton Moor represents far more than land acquisition. It is a long-term commitment to restoring nature, reconnecting people with the places they live, and demonstrating that nature’s recovery is possible at the scale and pace required”.

“This is what community-powered nature recovery looks like, and we can’t thank everyone enough for making it possible.”

Rachel Maidment, Grants Manager for Biffa Award said: 

“Biffa Award is extremely proud to support Derbyshire Wildlife Trust in securing Middleton Moor. Protecting and restoring the wildlife-rich land will deliver huge benefits for nature, climate resilience and local communities for generations to come.”

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Wilder 2030 Fund is a five-year plan to raise £5 million to support the Trust’s vision for a Wilder Derbyshire by 2030.