It’s been over a year since the 300-year-old Sycamore Gap tree was chopped down in an ‘act of vandalism’. Now, saplings taken from the illegally felled tree are set to be planted around the UK, named by the National Trust as ‘trees of hope’.
When the National Trust announced a scheme for the saplings to be gifted across the country, it received almost 500 applications. They will be given out to 49 individuals, groups and organisations and planted in publicly accessible areas, each one representing each foot in height of the original tree.
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The recipients include a motor neurone disease centre named after late rugby league star Rob Burrow, Alder Hey children’s hospital in Liverpool, domestic abuse charity Holly’s Hope, The Tree Sanctuary in Coventry and Garden for Grief in Tyne and Wear.
Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian Wall properties said: ‘Each and every application for a ‘Tree of Hope’ told heartfelt stories of people’s emotional connections to the Sycamore Gap tree and the importance of nature. They spoke of loss, hope and regeneration from all four corners of the UK, from towns, schools, colleges, community groups, hospitals and hospices, it’s been a privilege to read them all.
‘The tree meant so much to so many and through the ‘Trees of Hope’ initiative we are helping reach people across the nation, for generations to come.’
You can see the full list of ‘Trees of Hope’ recipients here.
Where is Sycamore Gap?
The tree was a beloved Northumbrian landmark. It stood proud at a gap in Hadrian’s Wall, was a site of countless marriage proposals and scattering of ashes and was immortalised in the 1991 Hollywood film ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves’.
Is the Sycamore Gap tree growing?
There are indeed signs of life growing from the stump of the felled tree. The National Trust found eight little ‘incredibly fragile’ green shoots at the base. Whatever grows out of them is unlikely to look like the Sycamore Gap and will take between 80 to 100 years to grow. Still, it’s a glimmer of hope!
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