A FOUR-metre high goat sculpture was officially unveiled on Friday, March 17 at the border between England and Scotland, above Carter Bar.

The sculpture was unveiled at Whitelee Moor National Nature Reserve.

It marked the end of a five-year National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project – the Revitalising Redesdale Landscape Partnership, which brought more than £3m investment in conserving Redesdale's heritage.

The sculpture, which depicts a leaping wild goat with freshwater pearl mussels at his feet and on his beard, was designed by blacksmith Stephen Lunn.

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Lydia Speakman, chair of Revitalising Redesdale Partnership, said: "Whitelee Moor is one of the few places in England where you can still find wild goats.

"We deliberately gave the Redesdale goat a rather mythical quality to represent the special wild character of the landscape, and the valley’s rich heritage with connections to the Bronze Age, the Roman occupation, and the times of the Border Reivers.

“A key part of the wider work of Revitalising Redesdale was to improve the water quality of the River Rede, which is an important habitat of the rare freshwater pearl mussels that are also celebrated in this new sculpture.”

Through Revitalising Redesdale, Duncan Hutt, Northumberland Wildlife Trust director of conservation, said: "We have created an attractive boardwalk from Carter Bar car park to the Nature Reserve where everyone can enjoy views across Redesdale, down to Catcleugh Reservoir and across the surrounding moors, which are important for their peat bogs.

"Through Revitalising Redesdale more than 700 hectares of peatland has been restored and 760 hectares of wildflower meadows enhanced."

Tony Gates, chief executive of Northumberland National Park, said: "The National Park Authority has helped lead restoring and providing access to Redesdale’s rich historic past, including a programme of archaeological excavations.

"Six new walk leaflets have been published, containing 18 walks which encourage new and different audiences to discover Redesdale, showcasing everything from the bird’s eye view from Carter Pike to the battlefield site at Otterburn and the quiet riverside walks in the lower valley with their ancient churches."

Revitalising Redesdale Landscape Partnership began work in 2018 and is due to complete all projects by March this year. The Partnership received £2.7 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.