White Cliffs Of Dover Safe For The Nation

An appeal to safeguard one of England's most treasured natural landmarks has reached its target almost two months earlier than expected.

The purchase of the 0.8 miles of land between Dover and South Foreland Lighthouse will fill in the missing link in a stretch of coastline almost five miles long owned by The National Trust on behalf of the nation.

The trust launched its £1.2m appeal in June. A host of celebrities, including Dame Judi Dench, singer Joss Stone and chef Rick Stein, offered their support to the campaign, which reached its target in just 133 days, with the average donation being around £40.

"This appeal has tapped into something unique, the emotional connection that people have with special places such as the White Cliffs of Dover," said the National Trust's outgoing director general, Fiona Reynolds.

"The trust will now look to enhance the quality of access to this new land and build on some of the fantastic nature conservation work that has been carried out by the team on the ground."

The chalk cliffs stretching east from Dover have stood over dramatic moments in English history, including the first arrival of the Romans and the return of British forces rescued from Dunkirk in the Second World War.

National Trust workers hold up placards of thanks to fund raisers

And they have featured in songs and poetry, most famously the wartime classic (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover - sung by Dame Vera Lynn - and Matthew Arnold's poem Dover Beach.

Alison Burnett, a volunteer on the White Cliffs of Dover team, said: "This chalky stretch of coastline symbolises so much for so many people and it's wonderful to think that we've managed to raise the money so that future generations can enjoy all that this unique place has to offer."

The trust manages the cliffs as chalk grassland, parts of which are grazed by Exmoor ponies to preserve the natural flora and support wildlife such as butterflies.

Although people are already able to walk the cliffs from the visitor centre to the lighthouse, part of the stretch is privately owned and in places arable fields come to the edge of cliffs, leaving just a sliver of land for the coastal path.

By buying the 0.8-mile piece of the coastal jigsaw, the trust will be able to restore the natural habitat, providing more space for species to retreat as the cliffs naturally erode, and connect the trust's existing areas of land.

The trust, which acquired its first stretch of the White Cliffs in 1968, looks after more than 720 miles of coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

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