Sycamore Gap sapling starts new life on the Broads

A sapling grown from the beloved Sycamore Gap tree is beginning a new life on the Norfolk Broads.

The young tree is one of 15 Trees of Hope given to every National Park in the UK since the original was felled - and has been planted at the How Hill Nature Reserve.

Saplings were sourced from the remains of the solitary tree that had grown in a natural dip in the countryside along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland - until it was unexpectedly cut down in 2023.

John Packman, chief executive of the Broads Authority, said How Hill was "a fitting location", adding: "As it matures and grows it will become part of the wonderful views that represent the Broads National Park so perfectly."

Last July, Adam Carruthers, 33, and Daniel Graham, 39, were each jailed for four years and three months for causing criminal damage to the tree.

Carruthers has now been released under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.

The Trees of Hope project, in collaboration with the National Trust, aims to spread the legacy and make sure the famous tree continues to flourish elsewhere.

Small seedlings and buds were propagated at the National Trust's conservation centre in Devon.

The very first sapling grown from the tree was gifted to King Charles III by the charity in 2024, to be planted in Windsor Great Park.

The How Hill Nature Reserve is renowned for supporting a wide range of wetland plant communities, birds, insects and animal species and has views over the River Ant and Turf Fen Mill.

According to the Broads Authority, the sapling was officially planted at the site on 6 May.

Lynsey Skeates, director of the How Hill Trust, said: "How Hill has long been a place where children and adults learn about nature, the landscape and Broads heritage.

"I hope that the Sycamore Gap sapling will become a part of that inspiration as its story is re-told to future generations."

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