When the Sycamore Gap tree was felled in 2023, it felt like the kind of moment the whole country gasped at once. You didn’t need to be a tree expert, a history buff or a rewilding enthusiast to feel it. The tree was one of those rare natural landmarks that somehow became part of everyone’s mental map of Britain. We’d all seen the photos. Many had visited it. And when it disappeared overnight, it was as if a small, familiar piece of our shared landscape suddenly dropped out of view.
But in classic nature fashion, quietly stubborn, endlessly surprising, the story didn’t end with loss. Thanks to quick-thinking conservationists, seeds and cuttings were saved, nurtured, grown…and now 49 young saplings have been planted across the UK , each carrying a little of the original tree’s magic forward.
And that’s where this story becomes bigger than one tree.
It becomes a lesson in resilience, community and the power of small, local action - the very principles at the heart of LettsSafari.
The felling sparked outrage and sadness across the UK. But the follow-up has been something quite the opposite: communal, hopeful, even tender. The new saplings are being planted in meaningful places, community greens, memorial gardens, hospital grounds, turning grief into growth.
Each planting is essentially a collective promise: We will rebuild what was lost. We will care for the nature we still have. We will pass something living and hopeful on to the next generation.
It’s grassroots conservation at its very best.
The Sycamore Gap story has become a national reminder that:
And crucially: rewilding doesn’t need to be a grand, sprawling national project. It can start on a windowsill.
The Sycamore Gap rebirth mirrors exactly what we stand for at LettsSafari: s mall patches making a big difference.
Most of us don’t live beside iconic landscape features. We’re helping you with gardens, balconies, shared courtyards, local parks - tiny pockets of potential. And that’s the beauty of it.
LettsSafari helps people rewild those spaces through simple, guided, achievable steps:
Your donations fund our own rewilding work. And in return we show you how to turn whatever outdoor space you have into a thriving mini-habitat - whether that’s a garden corner, balcony pot, verge, or communal patch.
Just as the Sycamore saplings have become “trees of hope,” you can create your own symbolic planting - a native tree, a pollinator strip, a mini-pond. Something that says, “This is my contribution.”
Our subscription delivers clear actions, seasonal tips and small nature-positive rituals that build impact over time. Because rewilding isn’t a weekend project - it’s a journey.
We encourage you to involve neighbours, friends or local groups. Rewilding spreads exactly the way those saplings did: one place at a time, one person at a time.
Inspired by the Sycamore Gap saplings? Here’s where to start:
Rewilding isn’t abstract. It’s hands in soil. It’s noticing new bird visitors. It’s watching a plant establish itself. It’s giving nature room and time to surprise you.
The fall of the Sycamore Gap tree was a moment of national sadness - but the growth of its saplings has become a symbol of renewal. It reminds us that nature’s future is not fixed; it’s shaped by what we choose to do next.
At LettsSafari, we’re here to help you be part of that next chapter. One garden, one balcony, one tiny patch of hope at a time.
Let’s restore what we’ve lost. Let’s rewild what we can. Let’s plant our own saplings of hope.
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