North East special branch
HEATON’S SHOE TREE AND BELTINGHAM YEW IN NORTHUMBERLAND ARE IN THE RUNNING FOR THE WOODLAND TRUST’S NATIONAL TREE OF THE YEAR
TWO well-loved North East trees are among the contenders vying to be named England’s Tree of the Year.
The Shoe Tree in Heaton Park, Newcastle, and the Beltingham Yew in Northumberland have been shortlisted and members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite.
The Woodland Trust’s annual competition, now in its seventh year, shines a light on the nation’s best trees to help drive up interest in their value and protection.
Heaton’s Shoe Tree is a sycamore adorned with shoes.
No-one is precisely sure how or when the tradition started, but people mark big occasions such as finishing exams by throwing a pair of old shoes up into the branches. The tree is continually laden with memories of the city, demonstrating the shoe fashions of decades gone by.
Periodically the council will remove some of the shoes to prevent the tree’s health suffering, or a pair of shoes falling on an unfortunate passer-by but it does not seem to have done anything to dampen the tradition, says the Woodland Trust.
Meanwhile, the Beltingham Yew grows in the churchyard of St Cuthbert’s church in Beltingham.
There are actually three yews in the churchyard but one stands out from the others as the oldest and largest.
Thick iron bands are wrapped around the trunk to help hold the tree together, for fear if part of it collapses it may damage the church. Even iron cannot stop the yew’s growth though - its trunk bulges around the belts, threatening to envelop them were they not adjustable.
The tree is thought to be around 900 years old but local legend says St Cuthbert preached beneath its branches in the seventh century.
There are 10 trees up for the award in total. Also among them is the Chained Oak in Alton, Staffordshire, which was the inspiration for the Hex ride at Alton
Towers, with legend stating the Earl of Shrewsbury had the tree bound in chains after a curse warned that for every branch that fell a member of the earl’s family would die.
A 150-year-old plane tree in Hackney, east London, called the Happy Man Tree, currently earmarked for felling to make way for housing, is also among the contenders.
It was nominated by parents and children who pass it on the school run and believe it is vital a tree which plays a part in making the air cleaner for the community is saved.
Another tree in the running is the Wilmington Yew in Wilmington, Sussex, which, growing among the graves, is more than 1,000 years old.
Completing the shortlist are the Marylebone Elm in Westminster, the Beech Tree in the Altar at Bayham Abbey, Kent, the Crouch Oak in Surrey, the Grantham Oak in Grantham, Lincolnshire and the Remedy Oak in Dorset.
Darren Moorcroft, chief executive of the Woodland Trust, said: “Easily overlooked and routinely undervalued, trees deserve their moment in the sun. This competition is a very simple way to demonstrate our appreciation of trees.
“We had more than double the number of trees nominated by members of the public this spring compared to past years.
“This is perhaps no surprise given lockdown had so many of us slowing down and taking more note of nature on our doorsteps, a boost for our mental health and wellbeing.
“At a time when we are fighting both a climate and nature crisis, it is undeniable that trees are needed now more than ever.”
The Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year competition runs in England, Scotland and Wales, and each country will have its own winner.
Just one of the three national winners will be selected to represent the UK in the 2021 European Tree of the Year contest.
The public can look at the shortlist and cast a vote on the Woodland Trust website, voting closing on September 24.