According to the National Trust (NT), they received almost 500 applications for the 49 saplings – one to represent each foot in height that the tree was at the time of felling – from all over the UK. Currently being cared for by the NT Plant Conservation Centre, the saplings should be strong and sturdy enough to plant out in winter 2025/26.
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 showed signs of life. In partnership with the Northumberland National Park Authority and Historic England, the NT announced in September to offer communities the opportunity to request a ‘Tree of Hope’ sapling.
The new homes for the saplings will all be in publicly accessible spaces, enabling many more people to feel part of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree’s legacy with recipients from around the UK including The Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease in Leeds, Holly’s Hope in conjunction with Hexham Abbey in Northumberland, and The Tree Sanctuary and Tree Amigos in Coventry. As part of the ‘Trees of Hope’ initiative, Henshaw Church of England Primary School as the closest school to the Sycamore Gap Tree, ‘Tina’s Haven’ in East Durham, ‘Fergus’s Tree’ in south Bristol along with all 15 UK National Parks will also all receive a sapling.
The NT explained that 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 towns, schools, colleges, community groups, hospitals and hospices. The judging panel said it has been a privilege to read them all.
“Our hope is that 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 as well as the people who visit the trees in future’, explains the Trust.
The applications were judged by a panel of experts from the National Trust led by independent judge and arboriculture specialist, Catherine Nuttgens. Nuttgens commented: “The Sycamore is one of the most architecturally beautiful trees in our landscape. In summer, their dark green leaves create a canopy that looks almost like broccoli, while in winter, they create a silhouette that perfectly depicts what we think of when we think of a tree. 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.”
The full list of the 49 ‘Trees of Hope’ recipients of the Sycamore Gap Saplings can be found here.