Langholm Moor buyout completion called a moment of history

The legal completion of the biggest ever community land buyout in southern Scotland has been hailed as a "moment of history and hope".

The Langholm Initiative bought more than 5,200 acres of moorland from Buccleuch last year for £3.8m.

It has now taken ownership of another slice of land of similar scale after raising £2.2m.

It will allow the community group to double the size of its planned Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in the area.

The completion brings to a conclusion a story which started more than three years ago when Buccleuch - one of Scotland's biggest landowners - announced its decision to sell 25,000 acres of its Borders Estate.

Within a year a campaign was launched to purchase an area around Langholm which drew donations from the public, organisations and major donors.

The Langholm Initiative has now purchased more than 10,000 acres with a view to creating a nature reserve.

It is hoped it can help regeneration, tackle climate change and develop outdoor tourism in the area.

John Hanrahan, who chairs the Langholm Initiative, said it was a "moment of history and hope".

"It shows how communities can achieve the remarkable when people work together, even when the odds seem impossible," he said.

"Huge thanks go to the thousands of people who went above and beyond to make this happen, and to Buccleuch for working with us so positively throughout.

"The climate and nature emergencies are one of the biggest long-term threats facing us all, and restoring nature on a large scale is one powerful solution."

He said they were "hugely proud" to be playing their part and hoped it would inspire other projects across Scotland.

Benny Higgins, executive chairman of Buccleuch, said the Langholm Initiative had come up with a "strong, forward-looking plan".

"For myself and the Buccleuch team, it has been a pleasure to be part of this story, and we look forward, with Tarras Valley Nature Reserve, to what can be achieved by them in the future," he said.