Tree of the Year (United Kingdom)

Last updated
The Happy Man Tree, England's Tree of the Year 2020 The Happy Man Tree, Hackney, London, England (August 2020).png
The Happy Man Tree, England's Tree of the Year 2020
The Allerton Oak, Britain's and England's Tree of the Year 2019 The Allerton Oak - geograph.org.uk - 1226237.jpg
The Allerton Oak, Britain's and England's Tree of the Year 2019
Nellie's Tree, Britain's and England's Tree of the Year 2018 Nellies tree. (geograph 5953131).jpg
Nellie's Tree, Britain's and England's Tree of the Year 2018
The Gilwell Oak, Britain's and England's Tree of the Year 2017 Gilwell Oak (5948293396).jpg
The Gilwell Oak, Britain's and England's Tree of the Year 2017
The Sycamore Gap Tree, England's Tree of the Year 2016 Sycamore Gap, The Tree.jpg
The Sycamore Gap Tree, England's Tree of the Year 2016
The Cubbington Pear Tree, England's Tree of the Year 2015 Cubbington pear tree.jpg
The Cubbington Pear Tree, England's Tree of the Year 2015
The Suffrage Oak, Scotland's Tree of the Year 2015 Suffragette Oak & Sign.jpg
The Suffrage Oak, Scotland's Tree of the Year 2015

The Tree of the Year competition is held in the United Kingdom in autumn each year by the Woodland Trust, a nationwide conservation charity. Nominated trees are shortlisted by a panel of experts, before going to public votes to select a tree of the year for each of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. The panel then selects one of these to become Britain's tree of the year and be nominated for the following year's European Tree of the Year. The competition has been run each year since 2014.

Contents

History

The European Tree of the Year competition has been running since 2011 and selects a tree from participating countries (now 13 in number) by public vote. It was inspired by an earlier Czech national contest. Most countries hold a national poll to select their entrant for each year. [1] Nominations are made in the year preceding the award. The United Kingdom did not enter the competition until 2013 when Niel Gow's Oak and the Oak at the Gate of the Dead were nominated for Scotland and Wales respectively for entry into the 2014 award. These trees finished seventh and ninth out of the 10 entries for that year. [2]

The following year, the Woodland Trust took responsibility for nominating British entries into the competition. It instigated national competitions in England, Wales and Scotland. [3] The winners of this competition were entered into the European Tree of the Year awards for 2015. [4]

In 2015, the British awards were widened to include Northern Ireland. [5] The Woodland Trust altered the format in 2016, introducing an additional round of voting to name a single tree of the year for the whole country. All four national winners were still entered into the European competition. [6] As of 2017, only the overall British winner is entered into the European Tree of the Year awards. [7]

Format

The four national competitions are run in September and October and ranking is determined by public vote on the Woodland Trust's website. Nominations can be made by any individual or organisation by early August and a shortlist is compiled by a panel of independent experts to put forward to the public vote. Each national winner receives a £1,000 grant from the People's Postcode Lottery to be used for any purpose in relation to the tree – this could range from a survey or health check, remedial works, plaques and signs or a celebratory event. [3] A selection of the shortlisted trees also receive grants of £500. [6] [8] Following the public vote, one of the four trees is selected by a panel of experts to become Britain's Tree of the Year and be nominated as the entry into the European awards, voting for which runs through January and February of the following year. [8] [9] In 2018 the Woodland Trust switched format, such that the overall British winner was decided by a public vote co-ordinated with the BBC's The One Show . [8]

In 2019 the competition reverted to a panel of judges to select the overall British entrant, though the title "Britain's Tree of the Year" was not used. [10] Individual national trees of the year were not chosen in 2021, with a public vote selecting the winner from a shortlist of ten from across Britain. [11] Individual winners were again not chosen in 2022, with Britain's Tree of the Year being selected by judges from a shortlist of twelve from across all four countries. [12]

Results

Britain's, latterly UK's, Tree of the Year

England's Tree of the Year

Scotland's Tree of the Year

Wales' Tree of the Year

Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 The UK Tree of the Year competition was not established until late 2014 but in 2013 individual trees in Scotland and Wales were entered into the 2014 European competition. Subsequent entries into the European competition have been granted only to the individual national winners for 2014–2016 and to the overall British winner from 2017.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Oak</span> Tree in Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire

The Major Oak is a large English oak near the village of Edwinstowe in the midst of Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire, England. According to local folklore, it was Robin Hood's shelter where he and his merry men slept. It weighs an estimated 23 tons, has a girth of 33 feet, a canopy of 92 feet, and is about 800–1,000 years old. In 2014, it was voted 'England's Tree of the Year' by a public poll by the Woodland Trust, receiving 18% of the votes. Its name originates from Major Hayman Rooke's description of it in 1790.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelvingrove Park</span> Public park in Glasgow, Scotland

Kelvingrove Park is a public park located on the River Kelvin in the West End of the city of Glasgow, Scotland, containing the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew O'Hagan</span> Scottish author (born 1968)

Andrew O'Hagan is a Scottish novelist and non-fiction author. Three of his novels have been nominated for the Booker Prize and he has won several awards, including the Los Angeles Times Book Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glasgow Women's Library</span> Public library in Glasgow, Scotland

Glasgow Women's Library is a public library, registered company and charity based in the Bridgeton area of Glasgow, Scotland. It is the only accredited museum dedicated to women's history and provides information relevant to women's culture and achievements. It tries to operate on feminist principles. The library was awarded Recognised Collection of National Significance to Scotland status in 2015, as the collection contains valuable resources pertaining to women and their lives. In 2018, it was shortlisted for Museum of the Year. The museum supplies and encourages training and education, as well as skill-sharing via volunteers and/or staff.

Within the video game industry there are several awards that are given to individual video games, development studios, and other individuals to recognize their merit. Most video game awards are given out on an annual basis, celebrating the best games of the previous year. Most of these awards come from organizations directly within the industry, but there also exist several that come from broader media groups. In addition, many video game publications supply their own end of the year awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gnoll Country Park</span>

The Gnoll Country Park is a park in Wales. It is an early-18th-century landscaped garden covering over 100 acres (0.40 km2) in the Vale of Neath, in Neath Port Talbot county borough in south Wales. The park is designated Grade II* on the Cadw/ICOMOS Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's Prize for Fiction</span> Annual prize for female author novel in English

The Women's Prize for Fiction is one of the United Kingdom's most prestigious literary prizes. It is awarded annually to a female author of any nationality for the best original full-length novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom in the preceding year. A sister prize, the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, was launched in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Album of the Year Award</span> Music industry award in Scotland

The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is an award given annually for an outstanding album produced by a Scottish artist. The award was launched in 2012 by the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) in partnership with Creative Scotland. The winner receives a £20,000 prize and the nine shortlisted artists receive £1,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Tree of the Year</span> Annual contest held in Europe

The European Tree of the Year is an annual contest held to find the most "loveable" tree in Europe.

Beach Soccer Stars is an annual award ceremony in beach soccer organised by the sport's developmental body, Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Suffrage Oak</span> Oak tree in Glasgow, Scotland

The Suffrage Oak is a Hungarian oak tree in Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow, planted in 1918 by a number of female suffrage organisations to commemorate the passing on the Representation of the People Act in 1918. A plaque was added in 1995 by the Women's Committee of Glasgow City Council on International Women's Day. It was named Scotland's Tree of the Year in 2015 after being nominated by the Glasgow Women's Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilwell Oak</span>

The Gilwell Oak is an oak tree on the grounds of The Scout Association's headquarters at Gilwell Park, Essex. It is reputed to have been used as a hiding place by Dick Turpin and since the 20th century has become closely associated with the Scout movement. The tree is situated close to the training ground for the association's first Scout leaders and provided material for the earliest Wood Badges. The oak inspired Scout movement founder Robert Baden-Powell to create "the moral of the acorn and the oak" an analogy for the growth of the Scout movement and the personal growth of its members. The Gilwell Oak was voted England's Tree of the Year by the public in 2017 and was subsequently selected by a panel of experts as the UK Tree of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niel Gow's Oak</span>

Niel Gow's Oak is a 300-year-old tree near Dunkeld and Birnam, Perth and Kinross, Scotland. It is closely associated with the Scottish fiddler and composer Niel Gow, who lived in nearby Inver. Gow is said to have composed many of his most famous tunes whilst sitting beneath the oak. The connection is commemorated by a plaque and engraved bench. The tree has been entered into the Scottish and European Tree of the Year competitions. The tree was badly damaged by storms in 2011 and 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cubbington Pear Tree</span> Tree in Warwickshire, England

The Cubbington Pear Tree was a wild pear tree located near Cubbington in Warwickshire, England. Around 250 years old, it was the second largest wild pear tree in the country and a noted local landmark. In 2015 the tree was voted England's Tree of the Year. A Parliamentary petition was launched in September 2020 to save the tree from being cut down for HS2 and a month later had over 20,000 signatures triggering an official government response. It was felled as part of the High Speed 2 railway development on 20 October 2020.

The Pwllpriddog Oak, also known as the Rhandirmwyn Oak, is a 600–700-year-old tree located in farmland near Rhandirmwyn in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Recently it has served as a duck roost and a music venue. In 2018 the tree was named Welsh Tree of the Year in a public vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kilbroney Park</span> Public park in Northern Ireland

Kilbroney Park is a park near Rostrevor in Northern Ireland. Formerly a country estate, it was visited by William Makepeace Thackeray, Charles Dickens and Seamus Heaney and may have been the inspiration for Narnia in the writings of C. S. Lewis. It came into the ownership of the Bowes-Lyon family, and the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret holidayed there as children. The park has been run by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council since 1977 and features a children's play area, tennis courts and a cafe. It has a large collection of rare and historic trees, including "Old Homer", a holm oak that was voted Northern Ireland's Tree of the Year in 2016. A glacial erratic in the park is connected with the legend of the giant Finn Mac Cool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nellie's Tree</span> European beech trees in West Yorkshire, England

Nellie's Tree near Aberford, West Yorkshire is a group of three beech trees that have been grafted together in the shape of a letter "N". This arrangement of the trees is a result of a local man trying to impress his girlfriend Nellie around 1920. It has since become locally famous and is the site of numerous marriage proposals. The trees won the 2018 English and British Tree of the Year awards and came ninth in the 2019 European Tree of the Year awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allerton Oak</span> Tree in Liverpool, England

The Allerton Oak is an Irish oak tree in Calderstones Park in Liverpool, England. It is thought to be around 1,000 years old and is described as the oldest oak in North West England. It is reputed to have been the setting for a medieval hundred court and said to have been damaged in an 1864 gunpowder explosion. The tree won the 2019 English Tree of the Year competition and had been entered into the 2020 European Tree of the Year competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Happy Man Tree</span> Plane tree in Woodberry Down, Hackney, London

The Happy Man Tree was a plane tree in the Woodberry Down area of Hackney, London, which was awarded Tree of The Year for 2020 by the Woodland Trust.

The Tree of the Year competition is held every winter in Portugal. Nominated trees are shortlisted by a panel of experts, before going to public votes to select the winner tree of that year. The panel then selects one of these to become Portugal's tree of the year and be nominated for that year's European Tree of the Year.

References

  1. "About the contest". European Tree of the Year. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 "European Tree of the Year 2014" . Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 Stephenson, Natalie (19 June 2018). "Help us find the nation's Tree of the Year 2018". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  4. "European Tree of the Year 2015" . Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  5. 1 2 Smith, Ryan (9 November 2015). "Game of Thrones loses out as this North Belfast tree is named Northern Ireland 'Tree of the Year'". Belfast Live. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hickman, Chris (18 December 2016). "Our Tree of the Year winners are revealed on Channel 4". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  7. "Who are the winners?". European Tree of the Year. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Tree of Year 2018". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  9. "European Tree of the Year 2018 – Where is it rooted?". EUROPARC Federation. 14 February 2018. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tree of the Year 2019". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  11. Gillespie, Stuart (17 December 2021). "Kippford tree is best in Britain". Daily Record. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  12. 1 2 "Tree of the Year 2021". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Britain's Tree of the Year for 2017 unveiled". Countryfile. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tree of the Year 2020". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  15. "Tree of the Year 2022". Woodland Trust. Retrieved 4 November 2022.
  16. Thamayanthi McAllister (18 October 2023). "Tree of the Year 2023: Wrexham's sweet chestnut wins competition". BBC News. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  17. Barkham, Patrick (14 November 2014). "Major oak in Sherwood Forest voted England's tree of the year". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  18. "England's Tree of the Year, Cubbington pear, to be cut down for HS2". The Telegraph. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  19. "Scottish Tree of the Year crowned". BBC News. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  20. Gillett, Karrie (28 October 2015). "Century-old Glasgow oak tree hailed as Scottish 'tree of the year'". Scotland Now. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  21. "Ding Dong Tree takes Scottish title". East Lothian Courier. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  22. "Fallen pine is Wales' tree of year". BBC News. 23 November 2014. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  23. "Saved oak wins Tree of the Year award". BBC News. 9 November 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2018.