'Tree fellers' attack on tourism backfired'

The Sycamore Gap tree was a landmark of Northumberland and northern England

The owner of a pub near Sycamore Gap said the plans of the two men who felled the tree "backfired".

The Twice Brewed Inn is a 1.4 mile (2.5km) walk from the former landmark by Hadrian's Wall and was established in the early 1900s - around the time the tree was planted.

The pub's manager Steven Blair said the felling in 2023 had united people in kindness and that his business had had one of the "busiest years on record".

"We felt like it was an attack on our tourism at first, but it has done a 360 and completely, united all of lovers of Northumberland and the Roman wall community," he said.

Daniel Michael Graham 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, both from Cumbria, were convicted of criminal damage after filming themselves using a chainsaw to illegally fell the tree by Hadrian's Wall.

Sentencing them at Newcastle Crown Court, Mrs Justice Lambert said while a full motive was not clear, felling the tree and the ensuing outrage gave the men "some sort of thrill".

Daniel Graham and Adam Carruthers "got some sort of thrill" from felling the tree, a trial heard

Mr Blair said: "It initially felt like a personal attack on our tourism and our community but it's totally backfired on them and done a 360.

"It has completely united all of lovers of Northumberland and the Roman wall community."

He also said his pub had an increase in footfall since the felling.

The Twice Brewed Inn - pictured in 1930 - was established around the time the Sycamore Gap tree was planted

Mr Blair set up a fundraiser for the National Trust which owns the Sycamore Gap land, within the Northumberland National Park.

The online fund has raised £10,246 over the last two years with one anonymous donation of £5,000.

Mr Blair said: "We felt shocked, appalled, angry and distressed at what happened to the tree and we had to do something and give something back.

"The money is completely in the trust's hands now so we hope they can protect the site and preserve the path."

He also said the shoots growing from the stump of the felled tree now "form part of the landmarks and the joy of the Coast to Coast walk".

Andrew Poad, from the National Trust, left, said Steven Blair, right, and the community's help was "extraordinary"

Andrew Poad, from the National Trust, said the response had been "extraordinary".

"This generous donation from the Twice Brewed Inn is a testament to the deep connection people feel to this landscape, and it will help us to continue to care for this special place."