Sycamore Gap sapling given in memory of boy with cancer

Ruth lost her only child Fergus to cancer when he was just 12 years old.

“Your biggest fear after your child dies is that they will be forgotten,” she explains.

They had long been looking for a tree with special meaning that they could plant in memory of Fergus and raise awareness for all children affected by childhood cancer.

The Sycamore Gap tree was cut down a year ago, sparking nationwide outrage. Now Fergus' community in Backwell, near Bristol, will be one of the first to be gifted a sapling grown from it.

Stories about these first promised saplings will be shared to inspire others to apply for a Tree of Hope with the National Trust. They are now about 5 feet tall, as the BBC discovered during a visit to the top-secret greenhouse where they are kept.

On a bench overlooking an open green space, Fergus' parents share the spot where his tree will stand – a prominent place in the landscape.

Her son came to this recreation area almost every day – a boy about to become a teenager who loved the outdoors.

It was his way to school. He played cricket and other games here with his father Ian, who described it as a place full of “fun”.

Father and son planned a walk over Hadrian's Wall, where the Sycamore Gap tree stood.

They postponed because of the pandemic, hoping to visit once life returns to “normal.”

But in January 2021, Fergus was diagnosed with osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and was only 12 years old when he died in May 2022.

Two years later his mother Ruth contacted the National Trust after hearing about it Saplings and transplants have been successfully grown from seeds and young branches saved from the felled tree.

“There is something special about the story of the new life emerging from the Sycamore Gap. It reminded me of all the children who had childhood cancer. And that they deserve so much better. They deserve a second chance at life.”

A Sycamore Gap sapling seemed a fitting tribute since the trip was planned but never accepted.

Since Fergus's death, nature has been a constant source of strength for the family, Ruth tells me: “Its power to regenerate. And to comfort.”

She emphasizes that childhood cancer is “terrible, brutal and life-changing” and that bone cancer in children is something “no one really talks about.”

“We have to do more. We need to know more.” With the tree she wants to draw attention to the challenges these children face.

The original tree was 15 m tall when it was felled. As a result, 49 of its seedlings will be given to communities across the UK that successfully apply.

The Sycamore Gap was located in a depression on Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland and attracted visitors and suggestions. It was even featured in the Hollywood blockbuster “Robin Hood: The Prince of Thieves.”

But on the morning of September 28, 2023, news spread internationally that the tree had been felled overnight.

Two men accused of damaging the tree and the wall deny the crime.

There was excitement in the summer when Shoots began to develop from the stump itself.

Currently, his “baby trees” are being cared for and protected in a secret greenhouse, a place of biosecurity as rare specimens are grown there – including a copy of Newton’s apple tree.

The first sapling to appear was given to King Charles.

It was the wrong time of year to grow the material salvaged from the iconic tree, and everything was “a piece of cake,” explains Darryl Beck, who looked after the seedlings.

But now the small team here is caring for around 100 saplings, some of which are over 1.5m tall, with more saplings coming.

There are also “about nine transplants and budding plants,” explains Chris Trimmer, who runs the site. They are genetic copies of the original tree.

The trees cannot be planted until next year.

“We're a very small part of the story, but these trees are going to be around for the next 200 to 500 years. So they're going to be around for a long time and they're going to give people a lot of hope,” says Chris.

The National Trust wants these saplings to be symbols of hope and healing and for each tree to go to a very special place.

Another is promised at Tinas Haven in Easington on the County Durham coast.

Around 34 hectares (84 acres) of coastal fields will become a landscape of rolling meadows, hedgerows, ponds and woodlands overlooking the North Sea.

“My daughter Tina was an absolutely unique person,” explains Sue Robson. “Even though she had issues with childhood trauma, addiction and mental health throughout her life, she was brave, she was strong, she was beautiful.”

Tina died in 2020 at the age of 35 as a result of these fights. After her death, Sue wanted to create a wilderness sanctuary – a place of recovery for others struggling with the issues Tina faced.

The National Trust says it has spent the last 40 years cleaning up the beaches that border the former coalfields near the site where Tina's Haven is to be built.

The hope here is not only to restore nature, but also to help women recover from addiction and trauma through reconstruction projects.

Sue describes the pilgrimages she made to Sycamore Gap, just 58 miles away, and how seeing the deforestation felt like an act of “violence against Mother Nature herself.”

“When Tina died, my hope died with her,” says Sue. “And the same when that beautiful tree was felled. It was a violent, devastating act.”

But she sees a “parallel” when it comes to the themes of “hope, nature, recovery and connection.”

“It’s absolutely amazing that there is a tree here that is such a significant symbol of hope.”

For Sue, the story of nature recovering symbolizes that there can be recovery, healing and new beginnings even after the worst adversities.

“And hope can grow in abundance.”

Additional reporting by Kristian Johnson