Plants

Apply for a Sycamore Gap ‘Tree of Hope’ sapling

In partnership with the Northumberland National Park Authority and Historic England, the National Trust is offering communities the opportunity to request one of the Sycamore Gap saplings.

Sycamore gap tree

The National Trust Trees of Hope initiative will gift a total of 49 saplings – one to represent each foot of the height that the iconic Sycamore Gap tree was at the time of felling, to communities around the country.

People from around the UK are invited to apply for a sapling of the tree, to plant in publicly accessible spaces. The 49 Sycamore Gap saplings will be awarded to individuals, groups, and organisations.

“Our hope is that it will enable more people to feel included in the story of the tree and to become part of its legacy, helping to create a new chapter in the life of this much-loved tree,” said the National Trust.

The 200-year-old Sycamore Gap tree was brutally felled in an unforgivable act of vandalism in September 2023, prompting a national outcry. The iconic tree, stood for 200 years, as an unmistakable landmark in a dip in Hadrian’s Wall and Housesteads Fort in Northumberland National Park. In March this year, the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre reported that the recovered seeds and twigs from the felled tree are showing signs of life.

Full details of the eligibility criteria and judging process can be found here. Entries – via the application form must submitted by 23:59 on the 25th of October 2024.

The 49 successful applicants will be announced during National Tree Week (23 November – 1 December 2024), and the 6ft tall saplings will be delivered from spring 2025 (at the latest by 30 March 2026).