An oak tree in Rutland that was struck by a World War II Lancaster bomber has been shortlisted for this year's UK Tree of the Year award, alongside nine other trees chosen for surviving extraordinary events across centuries of British history. The Woodland Trust, the charity behind the annual competition, built this year's theme around the idea of against the odds, celebrating rare, ancient or at-risk trees that have endured everything from plane crashes to cannonballs. Members of the public can now vote for their favourite among the shortlisted trees, with the winner set to be announced later this year. Each shortlisted tree carries a distinctly local story, yet together they highlight a shared theme, that resilience across centuries often comes not from avoiding hardship but from a quiet, rooted capacity to adapt and endure whatever arrives.
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