Sycamore Gap beach art tribute: Stunning beach display pays homage to felled tree in Northumberland

The giant sand carving pays homage to the Sycamore Gap Tree that was unlawfully felled in Northumberland on September 28, 2023. A team of 10 volunteers spent six hours carving out the intricate boulders, using garden rakes, at Bamburgh beach - and has all been captured on camera.

Led by retired doctor and beach artist, Claire Eason, the iconic tree is shown standing proud along a rendition of Hadrian's Wall while a carved root scene is depicted underneath. Claire took the lead on creating the tree and its wall while the volunteers created the boulder and root section, while being filmed by Signpost Productions for BBC's The One Show. Claire, 59, said: "We arrived at dawn on the beach and the film crew were there. The light was beautiful. There’s a lot of repetition for filming. The whole thing took a good six hours. The extra hour was waiting for the tide to come in.”

The group carried out the project on February 13 after a break in the weather, but have only shared it now for the first time to mark six months since it was felled. Claire added: “I really love these group events as they’re totally different to working on my own. You never know how it will pan out. Everyone rakes in a slightly different way so they all do different lines. It was 100ft long by 50ft wide. It’s definitely one of the biggest. It was to tie in with the anniversary and it also happens to be in spring which is a time of renewal.”