Its destruction triggered outcry and sadness across the nation – but now, over a year on from the felling of the Sycamore Gap, the National Trust has revealed where the tree’s saplings will spring up across the UK.
Custodians of the much-photographed and visited sycamore say they hope the venture, which was announced exactly a year after the tree was chopped down, will create a new chapter of hope in its legacy.
The National Trust grew seedlings from the tree and 49 of them – one for each foot of the sycamore’s height – are being given away as part of the project.
A tree will be planted at Hexham Abbey, Northumberland, in memory of Holly Newton, who was murdered aged just 15 by her ex-boyfriend.
Her mother Micala Trussler said: “Knowing that we are going to have one of the Sycamore Gap saplings to help remember our daughter means a lot.
“This Tree of Hope will be a symbol for everyone that knew her, to reflect and to remember how amazing she was.”
The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease at Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, will also receive a sapling following almost 500 applications.
The much-loved tree beside Hadrian’s Wall, in Northumberland, was a long-standing feature of the British landscape before it was illegally cut down in September 2023.
Early reports at the time suggested it had been brought down by a storm, but it quickly emerged that the iconic tree had been chopped down.
Two men charged with criminal damage over the felling of the tree will face trial in December. They have denied the charges.
Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian Wall properties, said: “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.
“Each sapling will carry a message of hope with it as they start a new chapter not just for the tree but for all the 49 people and communities that will receive a sapling next year.”
The applications were judged by experts, led by arboriculture specialist Catherine Nuttgens. She added: “The loss of any tree can evoke strong emotions – none more so than the Sycamore Gap tree.
“Its destruction felt utterly senseless, destroying the simple joy it brought to so many people for so many reasons.
“But the Trees of Hope initiative has kept that sense of joy and hope alive, and it has been truly humbling to read through so many applications but a difficult task to select the final 49 recipients.”
