Northern Ireland's Bendy Tree wins UK award
Bendy elm still standing against all odds crowned UK tree of the year
Thursday, 8 October 2026
Photo by Aleksandr Gorlov on Unsplash
Warm-up
- What interesting trees or parks are near your home?
- How does wind change things you see outdoors?
- What makes a place memorable: its shape, age or story?
Vocabulary
- seaside
- next to or near the sea
- trunk
- the main thick stem of a tree
- sideways
- in a direction to the side, not up or down
- fungus
- a living thing like mould or mushrooms that can cause disease
- resist
- to stay strong against something harmful
- shelter
- protection from wind, rain or sun
- promenade
- a public path for walking, often beside the sea
- charity
- an organisation that helps people or nature and does not make a profit
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishA 150-year-old wych elm in Newcastle, County Down, Northern Ireland, has been named the UK’s Tree of the Year. The charity Woodland Trust runs the annual contest, and this year’s theme was “against the odds”.
Locals call it the Bendy Tree. Its near-horizontal trunk grew sideways because of strong seaside winds from the Irish Sea. The tree has resisted Dutch elm disease, a fungus that has killed most of the UK’s 30m elms.
It was planted in the mid-19th century as part of a row of wych elms along the promenade to shelter the main street. Many were removed during redevelopments, and this elm is now the last one standing. Its wide branches give shade to people resting on the bench under it.
Other notable trees were also in the shortlist, such as the Crowhurst Yew in Surrey, which once held a small meeting room inside its trunk. But the Bendy Tree’s story and shape made it the winner.
Comprehension
- Where is the Bendy Tree located?
- How old is the Bendy Tree?
- What made the tree’s trunk grow sideways?
- What disease has the tree resisted, and what is it?
- Why is it the last elm left on the promenade?
Grammar focus
Subject & object questions
Subject questions ask who/what did the action — no do/does/did. Object questions ask about the receiver — use do/does/did + subject + verb. (Examples constructed.)
- Who removed the other elms?
- What do locals call it?
Grammar exercise
Choose the correct option.
- Which disease (did kill most elms / killed most elms)?
- What (did winds do / winds did do) to its trunk?
- Who (rests here / does rest here) on the bench?
- Which tree (they named / did they name) the winner?
- Who (did plant it / planted it) in the 19th century?
Discussion
- Have you seen a famous tree or natural place? Where was it?
- What outdoor places in your town give shade or shelter?
- Should cities protect old trees during building work? Why?
- Which tree detail do you like more: shape, age or story? Why?
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