Purchase of Own Securities

Northern Venture Trust PLC
10 January 2001

                  NORTHERN VENTURE TRUST PLC (the 'Company')

                            PURCHASE OF OWN SHARES

The Company announces that on 9 January 2001, it purchased for cancellation
under an existing authority granted by shareholders 100,000 ordinary shares of
25p each in the market at a price of 95p, representing approximately 0.24 per
cent of the company's issued share capital. There remain 40,828,396 ordinary
shares in issue.