Hazlegrove's 1000 Year Old Oak makes it to The Tree of the Year Award Shortlist

Published by Hazlegrove Preparatory School on Friday 6th of September 2024

Children and staff at Hazlegrove prep School are honoured that a favourite tree in the school grounds has made it to the short list of The Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year Award.
The Woodland Trust's Tree of the Year Award celebrates twelve magnificent oak trees around the UK. These wonderful trees can live for over 1,000 years, support more wildlife than any other native tree and the UK is home to more ancient oaks than the rest of Europe combined. From titans of temperate rainforest to the UK’s widest oak, the 2024 shortlist features some of the biggest and boldest examples of UK wildlife.

The King John Oak at Hazlegrove has an estimated age of 1000 years and measures an impressive 10.74 metres around its trunk. Growing in the grounds of the school, the tree was already 500 years old when the school was founded in 1519 and has watched over countless generations of children on the Hazlegrove site since 1947.

Conservation is a hot topic at the school as Hazlegrove has recently been awarded the Green Flag Eco Status for which they gained a distinction. Headmaster Ed Benbow said, 'What an honour to be custodians of this remarkable ancient oak tree. It is an incredible example to us all at Hazlegrove showing strength and resilience and provides a home for a host of different wildlife. It inspires creativity in our children and embodies our mission to nurture our environment'.

The school looks forward to the results later this year.