Beatles to Wordsworth: Tree of the Year 'Rooted in Culture'

A cedar tree climbed by the Beatles, an oak said to have inspired Virginia Woolf, and a lime representing peace in Northern Ireland are among those shortlisted for Tree of the Year 2025.

- PA Media

Voting opens today for the Woodland Trust's annual contest, which aims to celebrate and raise awareness of rare, ancient, or at-risk trees.

The winner, to be announced in September, will represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals.

Ten nominees have been chosen to meet this year's theme of "rooted in culture," aimed at highlighting how trees inspire creative minds and become ingrained in the cultural landscape.

The actor Judi Dench, a patron of the Woodland Trust, said: "Our oldest trees hold more stories than Shakespeare; some were putting down roots long before he began writing, more than 400 years ago. They are as much a part of our heritage as any literature."