Cast your vote for the 'Tree of the Year' and contribute to the preservation of our 'Legendary Trees'
In the heart of West Sussex, the Queen Elizabeth Oak stands tall, a testament to the monarch's hunting grounds in 1591. As we look forward, the focus shifts to a different kind of celebration—the Woodland Trust's 2024 Tree of the Year competition.
This year, the theme is magnificent oaks, and the competition invites the public to vote for their favourite. Among the candidates is the Marton Oak in Cheshire, a 1,200-year-old tree with a 14.02m (46ft) hollow trunk. In the Borders, the Capon Oak, one of the last surviving ancient Jed-forest oaks, is also in the running.
From the picturesque New Forest, a 300-year-old pollard oak resembles an elephant, while an oak on the Ickworth estate in Suffolk was once the setting for 19th-century village children's tea parties. Lincolnshire's Bowthorpe Oak, about 1,000 years old, boasts ancient graffiti and was once large enough to fit three-dozen people standing shoulder to shoulder.
The Darwin Oak in Shropshire, outside The Mount where Charles Darwin grew up, faces the threat of being felled to make way for the Shrewsbury Bypass. The public's support could help save this historic tree.
The voting for the competition is open until October 21. Adam Cormack, head of campaigns at the Woodland Trust, emphasises the importance of preserving these ancient trees for future generations. He believes it's essential for people to have the opportunity to stand under a centuries-old oak and wonder about its stories.
Before her journalism career, Annunciata Elwes researched for a historical biographer and co-founded a literary, art, and music festival in Oxfordshire. She has worked as News & Property Editor for our platform and at The Sunday Times Travel Magazine, and is now the director of contemporary art gallery TIN MAN ART and an award-winning journalist.
Dr Kate Lewthwaite, citizen-science manager at the Woodland Trust, points out that each individual oak is like a miniature nature reserve, providing vital habitat and home to numerous species. The public is invited to sign a Living Legends petition calling for stronger laws around cutting down valuable trees.
The winner of the Tree of the Year competition will be announced on October 29. The public's votes could help save these ancient trees and preserve a piece of British history. Admission is free to Charlie Waite's Light & Land exhibition at the Mall Galleries, where you can learn more about the beauty and importance of our woodlands.
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