Wonky Elm Named UK Tree of the Year 2026
A 150-year-old wych elm on the central promenade in Newcastle, County Down, has won the UK Tree of the Year title with over 30% of the public vote.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- A 150-year-old wych elm in Newcastle, County Down, won the UK Tree of the Year.
- It secured more than 30% of the national public vote.
- The Woodland Trust competition focused on the theme Against All Odds.
- The tree survived Dutch elm disease which wiped out millions of trees in the 1960s.
A 150-year-old wych elm growing on the central promenade in Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland, has been crowned the UK Tree of the Year after capturing more than 30% of the national public vote in the annual Woodland Trust competition.
This year's competition centered around the theme Against All Odds, showcasing impressive, beautiful, and resilient trees across the UK that demonstrate how nature manages to survive adversity in extraordinary ways.
Known locally as the Bendy Tree, the winning elm triumphed over nine other finalists, including a small yew tree growing out of the masonry of a Devon church tower for 200 years, a Scottish ash tree that survived a lightning strike, and a Surrey yew housing an embedded English Civil War cannonball from the early 19th century.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The wych elm is the sole survivor of a row planted along the original promenade during the 19th century to shield visitors from sea breezes. While the rest of the row was felled during redevelopment in the 1980s, the fierce winds it historically protected people from forced its trunk to grow almost horizontally, leaving its leafy canopy to continue sheltering pedestrians in a unique manner.
The physical deformation of the wych elm into a near-horizontal position illustrates the long-term biological adaptation of trees subjected to continuous coastal winds. Furthermore, its natural resistance to Dutch elm disease—which decimated approximately 30 million elms across the UK during the 1960s—highlights its remarkable genetic resilience and local ecological significance.
"The Bendy Tree has been blasted by extreme winds, over and over again, for well over a century. But it has continued to exist and remain rooted, adapting to its surroundings and flourishing into this unusual shape that is providing shade and joy to its community."
May Chemais, Ancient Tree inventory lead at the Woodland Trust
John Martin, who championed the tree's nomination, noted that the local council installed a bench beneath its branches where visitors can sit in the shade while taking in views of the Mournes and the sea. Meanwhile, broader figures show that Northern Ireland maintains one of the lowest rates of woodland cover in Europe at just 8.7%, trailing behind Scotland at 19%, Wales at 15%, England at 10%, and the Republic of Ireland at 11%, prompting a government action plan targeting 12% woodland cover by 2050.
Source: BBC Science & Environment
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