A Danish billionaire has come to the aid of a community-led charity which owns and manages land in north-west Sutherland.

Assynt Foundation, responsible for the 44,000 acre Glencanisp and Drumrunie estates, has received vital support in the form of a six figure, interest free loan from Wildland Limited.

Wildland was established in 2007 by Anders and Anne Holch Povlsen. Mr Holch Povlsen is the owner of the international clothes retailer chain Bestseller, a company founded by his parents.

He is the biggest shareholder in the British online clothes shop Asos.com and second biggest shareholder in German firm Zalando.

He is the second-largest individual private landowner in the UK.

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Wildland is taking forward the conservation, protection and sustainable development of some of Scotland’s most rugged, precious and beautiful landscapes.

Now the foundation has received an interest-free loan that will enable it to remain fully operational until working capital is secured over the next few months.

Assynt Foundation chairman Lewis MacAskill said: “Wildland recognised early on that the foundation has a robust business plan in place and consequently responded to a request for a loan on the back of that plan – as six figure business loans go, the offer is an extraordinary one.

“The primary focus of the foundation’s board of directors is to achieve financial sustainability that will enable us to deliver our objectives, which place promoting strong communities and the sustainable development of our amazing landscape in an ecologically sensitive way at the heart of what we do.”

Tim Kirkwood, chief executive of Wildland Limited, said: “We know from experience how hard it is to make these remote, fragile and important landscapes pay the bills, whilst protecting habitats, generating employment and creating the necessary fabric for the communities involved. Wildland Limited is on this journey and believes it is an important one for current and future generations.”