The charity battling to buy Blencathra says it still hopes to achieve its dream, despite its owner declaring he will not sell.

Hugh Lowther, eighth Earl of Lonsdale, appeared to crush all hope of a sale last week when he said the peak, known as Saddleback, would be owned by his family for generations.

Two years ago, he put the 2,850ft mountain on the market for £1.75 million, saying he needed to settle a huge inheritance tax bill.

That bill has now been settled in other ways, prompting his decision not to sell the mountain.

He said: “It will remain in the Lowther family for generations to come. Blencathra is now 100 per cent off the market.”

But in a statement on their Facebook page, the trustees of Friends of Blencathra, confirmed they were still “actively pursuing” the purchase of the mountain.

The Facebook page has more than 6,000 members, comprising of people who have pledged cash towards buying the mountain and those with an interest.

The statement said: “The recent press report quoting Hugh Lowther saying he ‘has no intention of parting with Saddleback’ and he ‘wants it to remain in his family for generations’ has come as a complete surprise.

“We received the following information from our legal team: ‘The trustee executors, Lonsdale Estates, and their lawyers, Kerman & Co, with whom the charity has dealt with to date are all but out of the equation.

“The particular need to sell the mountain has passed. Nevertheless, the Earl is prepared to sell the mountain to the charity – as we have understood all along. The price is suggested to be £1.3m plus VAT.”

The statement said previous reports by Lonsdale Settled Estates have only stated they are not actively marketing the mountain.

The statement added: “The trustees of Friends of Blencathra Ltd are still intent on arranging the meeting with the trustees from Lonsdale Settled Estates.

“Unfortunately the legal team are now not in a position to do this following the turmoil created by Brexit as they currently have more pressing business interests to manage.

“The trustees are still prepared to work towards the purchase of Blencathra for the community.”

The campaign to have the mountain brought into community ownership attracted support when Saddleback was put up for sale.

A huge fundraising campaign got under way, although the final amount pledged has never been made public for commercial reasons.

Nobody at Friends of Blencathra was available for comment.