Chalk giant attracts £330,000 donations in 60 days

The National Trust has said it has raised £330,000 in 60 days to buy land surrounding the Cerne Abbas Giant.

The target was set in December to help fund the £2m purchase of 138 hectares (341 acres) around the ancient naked figure in Dorset.

The trust said gifts of up to £32,000 had been received from countries across the world, including Australia and Japan.

Area general manager Hannah Jefferson said: "It's been an amazing response. We knew he was popular the world over."

Standing at 180ft (55m) tall, the Cerne Giant is sculpted into the chalk hillside above the village of Cerne Abbas.

It is thought to date from the Early Medieval Period (770–1100 AD) and has been speculatively claimed to be a fertility symbol or represent the demi-god Hercules.

The trust has owned the small section of hillside on which the chalk giant rests since 1920.

Jefferson said the rest of the land was in the trust's care "as of this week".

She said: "It's all happened really quickly... and we're just starting to figure out what that might mean and start to get to know it better.

"Some of that is his hill which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and amazing for butterflies.

"And there's three other fields that can basically be transformed to be better habitats for wildlife and also better for people and we also have the exciting chance to find if there's more archaeology there too."

The remainder of the £2m was raised through grants, gifts, bequests and loans, the trust said.

The fundraising effort was supported by actor and writer Sir Stephen Fry and TV presenter Sean Fletcher.

Later this year, the giant will be re-chalked, a procedure which happens every seven or eight years.