will help us secure this important landscape, and could create 36 square metres of wildflower grassland shelter and food for the endangered Duke of Burgundy butterfly
The iconic and mysterious Cerne Abbas Giant in Dorset is Britain's largest chalk hill figure, and a monument that has captured people's imaginations worldwide for generations.
Now we have the chance to buy the surrounding 340 acres (138 hectares) – an area the size of 190 football pitches, or big enough to house 550 Cerne Abbas Giants - to safeguard the Giant's lair, including Giant Hill, and the surrounding area for wildlife and heritage to flourish.
With your support, we can restore this important landscape, and ensure populations of many rare and endangered species aren't lost from this part of Dorset forever.
This is a very rare opportunity to protect a huge swathe of beautiful and biodiverse countryside surrounding the Cerne Abbas Giant. Please join me in supporting this important appeal.
Support us
Your support can help transform the 340 acre (138 hectare) site into a place where nature can recover and thrive. Thank you to everyone who is joining us in giving nature this unique opportunity.
£56 raised so far
figures updated weekly
The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. We need landscapes that are bigger, better connected and more resilient to help tackle climate change and support wildlife.
Your donation today will help us transform this nationally important site. You'll be helping our conservation experts and ranger teams to:
By helping secure the Giant Hill and the land surrounding it, you'll not just protect one species – you'll create a stronger, joined-up countryside where many rare butterflies and other wildlife can flourish.
Your support will help protect existing populations of rare butterflies - including the Duke of Burgundy, Marsh Fritilliary and Adonis Blue, amongst other species that call Giant Hill home. Bringing the site into our care will help optimise land management to enable them to flourish.
As we plan new archaeological research and ways to fill Cerne Abbas with nature, we’ll start by listening to the ideas and priorities of the local community, our supporters and visitors, local schools, businesses, conservation groups and landowners. With your support, we want communities to feel a closer bond than ever with this cherished local landmark.
Creating a nature-rich landscape by re-nourishing the soil and planting trees will store carbon, support wildlife and flora, and sustain healthy rivers. Chalk grassland is one of the most biologically rich and diverse habitats in the UK. So, careful management of the Giant Hill SSSI is at the heart of this vision.
We've already raised £2.2 million to help fund the purchase of land surrounding the Cerne Abbas Giant and we have exchanged contracts with the seller to safeguard against the risk of losing the land.
We need your help to raise the remaining £330,000 by 30 January 2026. Any donations received after this date, or after the appeal has reached its target, will be used to support:
If you want to support this project with a high-impact gift of more than £10,000, or on behalf of a business, you can speak to our Philanthropy team directly by emailing giving@nationaltrust.org.uk.
Fancy a 'Giant' money-can't-buy prize? Enter the online prize draw today via our Crowdfunder page, and be in with a chance of joining the team re-chalking the Cerne Abbas Giant in summer 2026. This is your chance to get up close and personal to Britain's legendary 55 metre tall Giant.
Find out more about the giant, ancient, naked figure sculpted into the chalk hillside above Cerne Abbas.
Trees provide vital habitats for a range of wildlife and are one of the best natural defences against climate change. This is why we're aiming to plant and establish 20 million trees by 2030. Donate to Plant a Tree and make a difference.
Discover how we work to support a rich variety of land, nature and wildlife across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For 130 years, people like you have helped us look after nature, beauty and history. Donate today, and together we’ll preserve precious places for everyone, for ever.
