Rescued now oak now tree of year

A giant Welsh oak tree saved from being felled for a bypass has come runner-up in the European Tree Of The Year contest.

The Brimmon oak in Newtown, Powys, which has a girth of nearly 20ft, was second in the Europe-wide competition. Poland’s entry, the Oak Josef, which sheltered a Jewish family from the Nazis, came top in the public poll. England’s Sycamore Gap tree near Hadrian’s Wall came fifth.