Purchase of Own Securities

Northern Venture Trust PLC
19 March 2001

                  NORTHERN VENTURE TRUST PLC (THE 'Company')


                            PURCHASE OF OWN SHARES


The Company announces that on 19 March 2001 it purchased for cancellation
under an existing authority granted by shareholders 50,000 ordinary shares of
25p each in the market at a price of 94p, representing approximately 0.12 per
cent of the company's issued share capital.  There remain 40,708,396 ordinary
shares in issue.