Heaton Independents Rally Behind the Rothbury Estate Nature Appeal

Heaton's independent shops and cafes have thrown their weight behind an ambitious effort to buy one of Northumberland's great estates for nature. A dozen or so businesses across Chillingham Road, Heaton Road and the streets around them are fundraising towards the Wildlife Trusts' bid to secure the Rothbury Estate, the largest land-purchase appeal in the charity's history.

Leading the local push is Curvy Sounds, the independent musical instrument shop on Heaton Hall Road. Founder Andrew Mills has customised a Tokai Les Paul guitar, worth more than £1,000, with an iridescent pearl design inspired by natural forms, and turned it into the centrepiece of a community raffle.

A guitar raffle with a local heart

The raffle is stacked with prizes. Newcastle indie band Maxïmo Park have donated signed merchandise, and singer-songwriter Nev Clay has given a second guitar, also worth over £1,000. Tickets are a modest £2.50 each, with better value for buying a few, and the draw takes place at the end of September.

Best for:

Raffle tickets are available in Curvy Sounds on Heaton Hall Road and online via the campaign's JustGiving page. The winners are drawn at the end of September 2026.

Around the shop, a long list of Heaton independents have got involved, among them The Artichoke gift shop, The Butterfly Cabinet cafe, Handsome Sandwich and the long-established opticians Querido & Davidson, alongside The Last Resort, The Tipsy Toad, The Dog Grocers, Body Image Fitness, Smoke and Sear, The Barn Door, 10ten and Querido. It is the kind of collective effort that Chillingham Road does well.

Why the Rothbury Estate matters

The Rothbury Estate sits in the Coquet valley beneath the Simonside Hills, a sweep of moorland, farmland, woodland and river that the Wildlife Trusts want to protect and restore for wildlife and people. The appeal has already passed the £20 million mark, with several million still to raise to complete the purchase.

Mike Pratt, chief executive of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said the response from the neighbourhood had been striking: "The generosity of everybody in Heaton shows again just how much everyone cares about making this happen for nature and people."

You can read more about the community campaign on the Northumberland Wildlife Trust website.