Latest news with #NorthumberlandNationalParkAuthority
Western Telegraph
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Sycamore Gap tree trunk installation to go on display
Artist Charlie Whinney has been commissioned to create an artwork in tribute to the much-loved tree which stood beside Hadrian's Wall and was a symbol of Northumberland, a place for family memories and a beautiful link to the natural world. A 6ft section of the trunk was preserved after it was chopped down in the middle of the night in September 2023, and almost two years later it has been made into a striking installation. A section of the Sycamore Gap tree was preserved to be made into this piece (Bigger Picture/Northumberland National Park Authority/PA) It will go on display just two miles from where it once stood, at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre. Following public consultation, Mr Whinney has created a piece where people can sit on three benches around the trunk, looking at words of poetry that come up from the ground and form a canopy. From speaking to people, the sculptor was convinced that they would want to touch and even hug the remnant of the felled tree which meant so much to so many. Mr Whinney said: 'This commission has been the biggest honour of my career. The artist used words from the public and inscribed them on curved branches that form a canopy (Bigger Picture/Northumberland National Park Authority/PA) 'The work has pushed and challenged my practice in every way – and completely changed how I view individual trees. 'I learned a huge amount getting to know more about the project and the amazing people involved, and we also used every single tool in the workshop. 'The work acknowledges a moment in time when the nation reacted to the felling of a single tree which is massively significant in a time when our culture is not so connected to the natural world we are all part of. 'We've used words people said at the time in the work arranged as a branching organic sculptural poem. The tree was beloved by the public, sitting in a fold in the landscape beside Hadrian's Wall (Owen Humphreys/PA) 'I really hope what we've done in some small way allows the people of Northumberland and those who held this tree close to their hearts to process the loss they still feel from that day in September 2023, when the tree was illegally cut down. 'The work looks forward with hope, the tree is regrowing, and Sycamore Gap will always be a magical place to visit.' Tony Gates, chief executive of Northumberland National Park, said: 'This was the people's tree and so from the start, we knew there had to be a public-led response. 'This artwork is a collective collaboration with and for the public and symbolises our deep and lasting relationship with nature. People were devastated when the tree was senselessly felled in September 2023 (Owen Humphreys/PA) 'The original tree may be gone in the form we knew it, but its legacy remains, and what has come since has been endlessly positive, affirming our belief that people nature and place cannot be separated and are interdependent.' The tree was felled in what prosecutors called a 'moronic mission' by Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers in September 2023 and its destruction caused an outpouring of anger and disbelief. The pair were convicted of criminal damage following a trial at Newcastle Crown Court and will be sentenced on Tuesday July 15. The exhibit opens to the public on Friday 11 July at 10am at The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre, Northumberland, with visitors able to then walk to the fenced off site where the Sycamore Gap stump is showing signs of life with new growth apparent.
The Independent
10-07-2025
- The Independent
Part of felled Sycamore Gap tree to go on permanent display
A piece of the illegally-felled Sycamore Gap tree is set to go on permanent display. Two men were found guilty of chopping down the world-famous tree in September 2023, in an act that sparked global outrage. Now people will be able to get up close to the tree once again as part of its trunk will be going on display at Sill National Landscape Discovery Centre near Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland - two miles away from where the tree stood. The instillation created by artist Charlie Whinney includes a piece of the tree which is more than 6ft (2m) long and is surrounded steam-bent wood that twists around the original trunk and three benches. A public consultation was held to decide what to do with the remains of the much-loved tree, which included a workshop with children and any written contributions people wanted to make. On the three benches words taken from people's submissions have been inscribed. "They wanted to be able to sit down, so we made some benches, and also pretty much 100 per cent of the people we spoke to said they want to be able to access the tree and touch it,' Mr Whinney told the BBC. He said: 'I really hope what we've done in some small way allows the people of Northumberland and those who held this tree close to their hearts to process the loss they still feel from that day in September 2023, when the tree was illegally cut down. The work looks forward with hope, the tree is regrowing, and Sycamore Gap will always be a magical place to visit.' The Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) received letters, emails and messages in visitor books with people talking about the tree. Tony Gates Chief executive of the NNPA explained the past 18 months since the tree was felled has been difficult and that the opening of the instillation on Thursday will be a big moment. "Back in September 2023, people felt they'd lost the tree forever and maybe in some ways felt they'd lost those memories of those life events," he told the BBC. "To be sat here today to be part of that tree with this beautiful installation, it gives me a ray of hope for the future, this is a time to look forward and a time for us to repledge to do positive things for nature." The tree was not Britain's biggest or oldest, but it was prized for its picturesque setting symmetrically planted between two hills along the ancient wall built by Emperor Hadrian in A.D. 122 to protect the northwest frontier of the Roman Empire, and had attracted generations of followers. The tree had been known to locals but received international attention in Kevin Costner's 1991 film 'Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.' It drew tourists, lovers, landscape photographers and even those who spread the ashes of loved ones.
Daily Mirror
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Remarkable history of felled Sycamore Gap tree from film icon to bitter feud
Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were convicted this week after being found guilty of cutting down Northumberland's famous Sycamore Gap tree. But what is it about this felled tree that made it so special to so many? The Sycamore Gap tree, which once stood proudly in a dip next to Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, was chopped down in a shocking act of vandalism, causing uproar among locals. But what do we know about its remarkable history? The beloved Sycamore tree was the scene of marriage proposals, sentimental moments, and the scattering of ashes, and held deep personal significance to many of those in the area. When it was illegally felled in the early morning of September 28, 2023, Brits up and down the country expressed dismay and outrage. Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers were convicted of two counts of criminal damage earlier this week after cutting down the famous Sycamore Tree. Here, the Mirror takes a look at the rich 150-year history of this special tree, which has been immortalised in film, photographs, and countless memories. The famous tree had been growing in a natural dip along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland for approximately 150 years before it was savagely cut down by the men who could now face up to 10 years in to the village of Once Brewed, the Northumberland National Park Authority stated that the site was its "most-photographed spot" In late 2016, it was even crowned English Tree of the Year in the Woodland Trust's awards. It has also made its way into literature, with author LJ Ross, whose second novel was named after the tree, having previously spoken about how many creatives "felt inspired" by it. It was also a focal point along the 84-mile (135km) Hadrian's Wall route between Wallsend in North Tyneside and Bowness-on-Solway, Cumbria and has been described as a 'symbol of the North East'. The tree became famous after appearing in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, starring Kevin Costner. Afterwards, it gained the nickname the Robin Hood Tree, although in reality, it was some 170 miles (273 km) from Sherwood National Trust, which looks after the site with the Northumberland National Park Authority, said it was planted in the late 1800s by previous landowner John Clayton to be a "feature in the landscape". Sadly, the tree is no more, with jurors at Newcastle Crown Court hearing how Graham and Carruthers thad filmed themselves on their 'moronic mission' before bragging about their crime in text messages. Carruthers was said to have been motivated by a desire to get a trophy from the tree as a 'souvenir' for his newborn daughter. Meanwhile, a decision made shortly before his trial saw Cumberland council decree eviction from the land Graham used to call home, and he is embroiled in a bitter feud with his family. It's claimed that Graham held a grudge against authorities who rejected his bid to live near Hadrian's Wall. In 2022, he applied for a 'Lawful Development Certificate'. The ground worker took up residence in a caravan next to his stables at Millbeck Stables on the edge of Carlisle, Cumbria, within Hadrian's Wall's UNESCO World Heritage site 'buffer zone'. In the aftermath of the felling, people were keen to share their memories of the tree and why it was so special to them. One social media user tweeted: "The saddest part of Sycamore Gap being felled is that positive human interactions that have existed with it for years have gone to memory. Marriage proposals, generations of families walking along Hadrian's Wall as tradition to see it, ashes scattered, star gazing etc." Another commented: "I am grieving all over again. I scattered my brother's ashes here. This was our place. This was a place in which I found calm and solace, my grounding and orientation. This place means everything to me. This is more than upsetting right now." Hairy Biker Si King, who grew up in County Durham, posted on social media that a "sentinel of time and elemental spirit of Northumberland" had been "murdered".
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Northumberland walk named after Dan Burn 'a boost for business'
Businesses say trade is booming on a walking trail renamed in honour of Newcastle United star Dan Elsdon Burn Walk in Northumberland was renamed the Big Dan Burn Walk as a nod to celebrate his Carabao Cup opening goal, which helped end the team's 70-year wait for a domestic Sewell, landlady of Bird in Bush, says "the difference that it's made has been tremendous", with the pub experiencing an upturn of more than 110% since 2 to the success, Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) has extended the name change until to the end of September as a tribute to the 6ft 7in (2m) Blyth-born defender. Burn, 32, will also be made an honorary freeman of Northumberland, after county councillors unanimously voted to back the plans. Black and white stripes The national park authority has invited people on to the two-hour walk, which follows Elsdon Burn, to "reminisce about that header" and celebrate a "local hero's triumph"."Just about every single person that comes into the pub or the coffee shop is either starting the Big Dan Burn Walk, or they're ending the Big Dan Burn Walk," Ms Sewell told BBC Radio Newcastle. Ms Sewell said the increased popularity had been "absolutely amazing"."We've never seen this many people for so long in Elsdon," she Village Hall, which provides toilet and shower facilities on a donation basis, has also seen an increase in day visitor and overnight campers' numbersAn "increase in takings is being appreciated", the national park authority said it had seen plenty of people doing the walk in their black and white Dan Burn Walk stickers have also been put up alongside the current markers. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
National park cuts will axe rangers, bosses say
The head of a national park has said budget cuts mean the public can expect to see fewer rangers and fewer rights of way being maintained. Northumberland National Park Authority (NNPA) head Tony Gates said the body's funding from the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) had been cut by about 8.2% for this financial year. Lake District National Park Authority (LDNPA) head Gavin Capstick said it was expecting a 9% cut to its grant which he said had the potential "to risk all services we deliver". Defra said it was investing £400m in nature across the country including national parks. Mr Gates said this year's government grant would be about £219,000 less than the previous financial year. Taking into account the rise in national insurance contributions, Mr Gates called the moves the "single largest cut in our revenue budget that we've had in the 20 years that I've worked for this national park". He said the cuts would mean cutting staff, as well as education and outreach programmes. He said national parks were "assets" which could help the public get closer to nature and better understand the impact of climate change. "We're not going to be able to realise that potential," he said. Last month the LDNPA said it would hand over the management of the UK's first national park visitor centre. It said the lease of its Brockhole-on-Windermere site would be put on the market, with nine staff having already been made redundant as part of the move. Mr Capstick said the move was due to increased costs and "continued cuts to funding". "It is already very difficult to meet the local and national ambitions and targets for the National Park," he said. "We urgently need a commitment to adequate and sustainable funding to allow us to continue looking after this special place." Defra said it was also providing a capital uplift of up to £15m to national parks and that it would help the bodies cut "bureaucracy and take an entrepreneurial approach to boost earnings". Follow BBC Cumbria on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. New ponds to attract wildlife to Lakes attraction Plan to hand over park visitor centre amid cuts Brockhole-on-Windermere
