Sycamore Gap sapling destined for memorial plot

The sapling will be planted at the Minnie Pit memorial garden in Halmer End

A memorial garden in Staffordshire has been successful in applying for one of 49 "Trees of Hope" saplings harvested from the Sycamore Gap tree.

The famous tree - on Hadrian's Wall - was illegally cut down in the middle of the night in September last year.

In about a year's time, the sapling will be planted in the Minnie Pit memorial garden in Halmer End, the National Trust (NT) has confirmed.

The garden commemorates 155 miners - men and boys - and one rescuer who died as a result of an underground explosion on 12 January 1918.

Today, 156 trees stand in the garden as a tribute to those who lost their lives, with nine more planned to commemorate locals who died in World War One.

Volunteer Carol Heath says being awarded the sapling will help boost the memorial

Carol Heath, a volunteer who looks after the Minnie Pit site, said knowing there was something meaningful coming out of the illegal felling of the Sycamore Gap tree was "fantastic" for the memorial garden.

"It helps the site to stay in people's focus," she said.

"It really is a message to the whole of the country, that out of that disaster can come something that's good that's going to be spread all across the country," added David Anthony Rowley, senior steward at Halmer End Methodist Church.

David Anthony Rowley believes the sapling’s arrival is symbolic of positivity

Nearly 500 applications were submitted for the saplings, the NT said, one to represent each foot in height that the tree was at the time it was felled.

The saplings are currently being cared for at the charity's plant conservation centre

Bosses added that the new homes for the saplings would all be in publicly accessible spaces, enabling people to feel part of the tree's legacy.