The National Trust announced on Saturday that community arts charity Helix Arts and George King Architects have won a public vote to transform preserved wood from the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree into a collaborative artwork named "The People’s Tree."
The landmark sycamore, which stood along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland for at least 150 years, was cut down with a chainsaw during Storm Agnes in September 2023.
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Cumbria residents Daniel Michael Graham and Adam Carruthers were subsequently jailed for more than four years each after filming themselves committing the criminal damage.
Winning Proposal
The winning joint proposal was chosen from a shortlist of six finalists after a commission was announced in September 2025 to commemorate the tree, which sparked widespread public anger and grief.
The project will utilize half of the recovered timber to create a multi-strand interactive archive that connects communities across the UK.
The initiative includes a nationwide participation program where the public can record spoken reflections on their relationship with nature.
The artists will also scan the tree's growth rings to translate its history into a digital soundtrack.
The project will culminate in a final sound sculpture and time capsule incorporating the seasoned wood and audio archives, placed at an accessible point along Hadrian's Wall.
Portions of the wood will also be used by local artists for touring exhibitions and workshops, while an online platform will facilitate international participation.
Community Focus
"The tree as it was can never be replaced," said George King from George King Architects.
"But what we can do is create a place for reflection and connections."
Cheryl Gavin, director of Helix Arts, said the organization envisioned a participatory program rather than a static monument to focus on community resilience following the tragedy.
"Artwork polarises people, doesn’t it? There are lots of tastes and preferences, so we’re trying to demonstrate a complex idea," she said.
The organizers hope to engage individuals who normally lack regular access to natural environments.
"We thought there was loads of potential for getting communities involved in this sense of hope," Gavin added.
The digital exchange of stories is designed to expand the project's impact far beyond the north-east region.
"When tragedy strikes, you often lean into resilience, and a participatory arts programme felt like the right response," she said.
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The project aims to transform the collective experience of loss into a meaningful starting point for environmental care.
"We want to work with diverse communities, including those who haven’t got the chance to access nature," Gavin said.
The project will complement other ongoing legacy activities managed by the National Trust and its regional partners.
"This project comes from a belief that the legacy of the Sycamore Gap tree lives not only in its wood, but in the relationships, memories and moments of connection it sparked," she added.
The team aims to design locations where visitors can pause and feel part of a shared national experience.
"Connecting and collaborating with communities along Hadrian’s Wall and across the UK is key, we want to create places where people can pause, listen and feel part of something shared – where loss becomes a starting point for reconnection and care," Gavin said.
The digital initiatives will allow people worldwide to share their personal connections to the historic gap.
"Acknowledging the impact of the loss of the tree nationally – we also wanted to find a way to resonate beyond the north-east, and we’ll do this through the digital swapping of stories to understand one another’s experience with the Gap and connection to nature," she said.
Annie Reilly, public engagement director at the National Trust and chair of the commission judging panel, praised the winning submission for its deep commitment to public dialogue and local sensitivity.
"What stood out about this proposal was how it puts a real conversation between people and the tree at its heart," she said.
The panel noted that the artwork successfully addresses the emotional complexity of the event.
"It doesn’t try to give one answer to loss. Instead, it invites people to listen, reflect and reconnect — with nature and with each other," Reilly said.
The broader legacy program has already seen the main trunk installed at the Northumberland National Park gateway and heartwood prints displayed at Seaton Delaval Hall.
Additionally, 49 saplings grown from rescued seeds are being distributed to communities across the UK.
Public engagement for "The People’s Tree" is scheduled to begin this summer, with full project completion targeted for autumn 2027.
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Meanwhile, the National Trust confirmed that new shoots have continued to grow from the original stump for a third consecutive year.
