A sapling grown from the Sycamore Gap tree has been planted today at Hetton Lyons Country Park, that Springboard Sunderland Trust manage in partnership with Sunderland City Council.  This is a part of the National Trust’s Trees of Hope initiative.

It is one of 49 given by the Trust to individuals, communities and organisations across the UK to create a legacy for the Sycamore Gap tree, which stood next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland for over 120 years before it was illegally felled in September 2023.

The sapling has been planted by Veterans in Crisis with help from  Springboard at Hetton Lyons Country Park to honour VIC’s client WO1 Isaac Curran who has sadly just passed away.

Steve Reay from Springboard said: “The Tree of Hope initiative reflects Springboard’s long-standing commitment—over the last 50 years—to our core aims and ongoing partnerships across the city, ensuring that those most in need receive the support required to build resilience and thrive. Together with partners including VICs and Sunderland City Council, we continue to provide support, education, and training, nurturing roots that grow, strengthen, and ultimately stand strong on their own. It is an honour to share this opportunity with VICs to care for one of the saplings.”

Ger Fowler from VIC’s said: “It’s a great honour for Veterans in Crisis to be involved in such a massive country wide campaign.  When Our Client Mick Potter told us we had won a sapling we all so proud to have been chosen.  We have dedicated this tree to our client WO1 Isaac Curran who has sadly just died, he was our most remotely located client living in Scotland, he has gifted  us all his tools and machinery from his work shop so we can launch  Veterans into Carpentry in Springboards Pallion HQ, giving many more Veterans from around the region the chance to learn new skills and work opportunities and also collaborating with many more Veterans organisations around the region.”

The interest and support for the tree coming to Hetton Lyons has been overwhelming, we look forward to caring for and sharing the tree and it’s story for years to come.

Care and management of the tree will be undertaken by Springboard Sunderland Trust who manage the site in partnership with Sunderland City Council. Steve Reay, Springboards chief executive is here today to support the continuing partnership between Springboard and VIC’s as well as the work we do together in the park and across the city.  Springboard has been supporting the development of sustainable communities since 1975 and a big part of that is improving the environment where people live. To be able to nurture a sycamore gap sapling is something we will do with pride.

The Trees of Hope was launched by the National Trust in September 2024, one year after the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree. Nearly 500 applications were received for the 49 saplings – one to represent each foot in height that the tree was at the time of felling. The saplings, now between 4 and 6 feet tall, were grown from seeds rescued from the felled tree and have been carefully nurtured at the National Trust’s Plant Conservation Centre.

All the saplings will be planted in publicly accessible spaces in locations across the UK, enabling many more people to feel part of the iconic tree’s legacy.

Andrew Poad, General Manager for the National Trust’s Hadrian Wall properties said: “It’s incredible to think that the first “offspring” of this very famous tree are now being planted – it feels like just yesterday that those tentative first shoots appeared. Over the next couple of years, the saplings will really start to take shape, and because sycamores are so hardy, we’re confident they’ll be able to withstand a range of conditions.

“To be able to keep the story of the Sycamore Gap alive in all four corners of the UK and in so many different settings is a fitting tribute, and we hope that, just like the original tree, these young saplings will touch many people’s lives.”

For more information about Springboard and the work we do please visit: https://springboard-ne.org.uk/

For more information about the Trees of Hope, please visit http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/saplings.

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Following a recent full Inspection, Springboard are delighted to say we have been graded a GOOD Provider by Ofsted. Inspectors recognised the essential work we do with our young people across the region, both in training and education but also the wider communities we serve. Inspectors recorded that learners and apprentices feel safe, develop resilience and the confidence to make informed choices that positively impact their lives.

Ofsted recognised that many of our learners have poor previous experiences of education during their time in school or college, and Springboard provides good quality opportunities for those learners that have otherwise been unable to engage in education.

Inspectors recorded that learners who remain with Springboard achieve their qualifications and have the opportunity to progress to further study, employment or an apprenticeship. We know that our team often go well above and beyond to ensure our learners get the very best additional assistance to succeed and improve their life chances.

For us, here at Springboard, this was formal recognition of fantastic ongoing effort by the whole team across the region to provide the very best access to support, training, education and employment opportunities. We continue to strive to improve our programmes and support to raise our learners’ aspirations and outcomes.

Well done everyone.

The full report can be found here.

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