Shareholder update - September 2024

In February 2023 Aviva announced a £38 million partnership with The Wildlife Trusts to restore Britain’s lost temperate rainforests in the UK. Native to the British Isles, temperate rainforest is an incredibly rare and biodiverse habitat that now covers less than 1% of the UK. Restoring these rainforests isn’t just about meeting environmental targets. It’s also about providing a better tomorrow by protecting and restoring biodiversity, providing increasing flood protection, and addressing the ongoing nature crisis by adding to the natural beauty and cultural heritage of each site.

In September this year we partnered with Cumbria Wildlife Trust to launch a major public appeal to help buy Skiddaw Forest, including the summit of Skiddaw, and create England’s highest nature reserve.

• 620 acres of lost Atlantic Rainforest in Cumbria will be restored thanks to The Wildlife Trusts’ partnership with Aviva.
• Skiddaw Forest in the Lake District covers 3,000 acres of currently ungrazed upland.
• Over 2,200 acres of other habitat will be restored including montane scrub, wildflower grassland, heather moorland and 992 acres of peatbogs.
• Open public access to this popular fell – including Skiddaw’s summit – will be secured.
• Internationally important site for nature and geology will be protected forever.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust aims to restore a huge, lost area of Atlantic rainforest as part of its 100-year vision for bringing back wildlife to the lower slopes of what will be the highest nature reserve in England. Thanks to a partnership with Aviva, £5 million has been raised and additional support has been secured from charitable funders towards the asking price. Now the charity needs to raise the final £1.25 million and is appealing to the public to secure the purchase.

Stephen Trotter, CEO of Cumbria Wildlife Trust, says:

“This is a unique and exciting opportunity to create England’s highest nature reserve and, working with farmers and the local community, we urgently need to put more wildlife back into a much-loved and spectacular part of Cumbria. We’re extremely grateful to Aviva and other donors for the contributions already made towards the purchase of Skiddaw Forest.

“Now we’re asking the public to give whatever they can to help us secure this site and to bring more nature to this very special place.

“Skiddaw Forest offers a unique opportunity for wildlife and climate resilience at a major scale in the Lake District National Park. We have to reverse the widely reported decline of nature in National Parks to help address the impacts of the climate emergency and the wider wildlife crisis.”

Claudine Blamey, Chief Sustainability Officer, Aviva, said:

“We’re delighted to see Skiddaw in the Lake District chosen as the latest site in our partnership with The Wildlife Trusts, creating England’s highest nature reserve in such an iconic location. Restoring temperate rainforest, peatlands and other habitats on Skiddaw will help the Lake District become more climate ready and provide communities and visitors the opportunity to experience the wonder of British rainforests for years to come.”

Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington said:

“As a lover of the Lake District fells, and a keen advocate for the environment and biodiversity, I can’t think of a better organisation to manage Skiddaw Forest than Cumbria Wildlife Trust. Their tireless work has really helped to put wildlife into the consciousness of the public and put nature back onto the map.”

Writer and television presenter Julia Bradbury said:

“This is an amazing opportunity for nature recovery on such a large scale. I’m delighted Cumbria Wildlife Trust can begin restoring precious montane habitats on this iconic Lakeland fell which is still close to my heart in so many ways. Our natural world needs a lot of help and it’s visions like this that can make a tremendous difference. Let’s help keep these wild spaces protected for generations to come.”