150-Year-Old Bendy Elm Crowned UK Tree of the Year

The Bendy Tree, a 150-year-old wych elm in Newcastle, County Down, has won UK Tree of the Year 2026. Bent sideways by Irish Sea winds, it resisted Dutch elm disease, which destroyed most of the UK's 30 million elms. Planted to shelter the promenade, it is the last of its row. The Woodland Trust ran the 'against the odds' contest.