Sycamore sapling plants hope in Byker

A North East community hub has welcomed a symbolic new addition after local schoolchildren planted a sapling descended from one of the country’s most iconic trees.

Pupils from St Lawrence Catholic Primary School and Byker Primary School gathered at the Lighthouse Project in Byker to plant a Sycamore Gap sapling, part of the National Trust’s ‘Trees of Hope’ initiative.

The ceremony took place at the Lighthouse Project on Saint Michael’s Mount, a community venue created through the 18-month redevelopment of St Michael’s Church. 

The centre, which opened last summer, provides a range of services and activities for young people and families.

Children from both schools regularly use the site for activities including Forest School sessions in the area where the sapling has now been planted.

Charlotte Robson, head of school at St Lawrence Catholic Primary School, said: “The Lighthouse Project is a wonderful community resource which has enhanced the opportunities we are able to offer our pupils.

“Being part of the Sycamore Gap sapling planting and seeing how new life can come from something negative aligns very closely with our school values.”

Michelle Donnison, head teacher at Byker Primary School, added: “The Sycamore Gap sapling that our pupils are planting embody nature’s unwavering determination to flourish, a resilience which mirrors the personal growth and strength we strive to cultivate within our own school community.”

Andrew Poad, general manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian Wall properties, added: “The tree meant so much to so many and through the ‘Trees of Hope’ initiative we are helping reach people across the nation, for generations to come. 

“Each sapling carries a message of hope with it as they start a new chapter, not just for the tree, but for all the 49 people and communities that have received a sapling.”

The Lighthouse Project, which was delivered following a £4.2 million grant from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport’s Youth Investment Fund alongside support from Lord Crewe Trust and The Squires Foundation, features a youth club annexe, arts and performance spaces, an e-sports suite, music rehearsal facilities, outdoor sports areas and a nature trail. 

It also hosts health and wellbeing programmes, mentoring and support services for young people, while offering space for community groups including the Byker Scout Group.

Ben Roman, chief executive at The Lighthouse Project, added: “The pupils, and the generations that will follow them through their schools, will be able to watch the sapling grow as they grow themselves, and we hope that, one day, they might be able to sit under its branches with their children and grandchildren.

“Our sapling will be looked after and nurtured here in the same way that we’re working to look after and nurture young people in Byker, and we’re honoured to have it here in our community.”

The sapling is one of 49 distributed across the UK through the National Trust’s Trees of Hope programme, with several planted at locations across the North East.

To find out more about the initiative and where the other Trees of Hope saplings will end up, see here. 

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