County Down’s Bendy Tree wins 2026 UK Tree of the Year vote

The Bendy Tree, a wych elm on the promenade in Newcastle, County Down, has won the Woodland Trust’s 2026 UK Tree of the Year competition, RTÉ reported on 8 October. It is the first winner from Northern Ireland, and the result means it will represent the UK in next year’s European Tree of the Year finals.

The tree received 30% of the public vote, according to Woodland Trust figures reported by RTÉ. Tens of thousands of people voted between July and September, choosing from ten shortlisted trees. The reports give the winner’s share but do not state its vote total or the totals for the other finalists.

Why Newcastle’s Bendy Tree made the shortlist

The Woodland Trust describes the Bendy Tree as a wych elm more than 150 years old. Its trunk grows almost horizontally beside Newcastle’s seaside promenade, a shape the Trust links to the harsh coastal conditions the tree has endured for more than a century. Its appearance made it a clear fit for this year’s competition theme, ‘Against all odds’.

According to the Trust, the elm was probably planted around the mid-19th century as part of a row along the town’s original promenade. The trees were intended to shelter the main street from the wind. That planting date is an estimate, rather than a documented year for the individual tree.

RTÉ describes the tree as a much-loved feature of the seafront. Its canopy shades a bench beneath its branches, giving people a place to sit in the town centre. The public vote recognises a tree that remains part of an everyday public space, as well as one with an unusual history of survival.

How the 2026 Tree of the Year vote worked

The Woodland Trust announced ten contenders in July and invited the public to vote. The shortlist brought together trees that had survived different threats, including disease, development and severe weather. Postcode Lottery players supported the competition, according to the Trust’s shortlist announcement.

Among the other nominees was the Crowhurst Yew, which the Woodland Trust says was found to have a cannonball embedded in its trunk. The Culmstock Yew in Devon has grown on top of a church tower for about two centuries. Those examples show the range of survival stories behind the ‘Against all odds’ theme; the announced result places Newcastle’s elm first in the public vote.

The shortlist also included the Balloch Castle Ash by Loch Lomond, which the Trust says has endured a lightning strike, storms, ash dieback and heavy visitor footfall. The Bollihope Burn Birch in County Durham grows at the edge of a cliff. Each was put forward for the conditions it has survived, rather than for belonging to a single species or region.

What the result means for the European contest

May Chemais, the Woodland Trust’s ancient tree inventory lead, told RTÉ that the Bendy Tree’s visible signs of hardship may have helped it connect with voters. ‘When you look at this astonishing and bizarre tree, there’s no doubt about what it has endured,’ she said. She also pointed to the shade, stories and sense of place that older trees provide for communities.

Laura Chow, head of charities at competition supporter Postcode Lottery, said the event highlights trees at the heart of communities. For Newcastle, the result gives a familiar feature of its promenade a place in a wider competition. RTÉ reports that the Bendy Tree will represent the UK in the European finals next year; the available announcement gives no European result.