Giant 100ft tribute to fallen Sycamore Gap tree is etched onto sand to mark six months since iconic plant was felled in horrific act of vandalism

A giant 100ft tribute to the felled Sycamore Gap tree has been carved into a beach in Northumberland to mark six months since the iconic plant was chopped down by vandals. 

Retired doctor and beach artist Claire Eason led a team of ten volunteers who spent six hours painstakingly etching precise lines in the sand of Bamburgh beach.

The group used garden rakes to carve the intricate design which shows the iconic tree standing proudly along Hadrian's Wall with a carved root scene underneath.

The 11-man team arrived on the beach at dawn to begin their six-hour project and persevered despite poor weather to create the stunning artwork.  

Claire, 59, said she had been inspired to start the project after feeling a 'personal shock' at the terrible act of destruction on September 28 last year.

The project was led by the BBC's The One Show and completed on February 13 but the tribute has only now been revealed.

The 59-year-old said: 'When the tree came down a lot of us had a personal shock. That prompted me to create a design.

 'The idea is that it was quite a graphic boulder design as we had a lot of volunteers who hadn't done anything before and it made it easier.

'After that we had an idea of doing something more inclusive than me with a community.

'Underneath there is a route system that embraces huge boulders which shows whatever happens next for the tree, where it will sprout again.

'It's a suggestion of Hadrian's wall, nothing too detailed, just bold and graphic. I gave the volunteers free control over the boulder design.

'There were ten people. The day did change a lot because of the weather, they turned up without any hesitation.

'It was for The One Show and it was produced by a local company called Signpost Productions.

'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.'

Retired doctor Claire created the design on a computer before using a giant grid system to accurately transfer the artwork to the sand.

She carved the tree herself while the team of volunteers carved the boulder and root section.

She said: 'I didn't want to over complicate the design as the result needs to be crisp. It's an inclusive design.

'There are different factors as some people have done it before. You're teaching and building confidence.

'A lot of people are scared that they're going to make a wrong mark. It is definitely doable for any age, it's about having the understanding.

'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.'

The 300-year-old tree which famously featured in Robin Hood was felled overnight in a 'malicious act of vandalism' in September last year.

The Sycamore Gap, along Hadrian's Wall in Northumberland, is one of the UK's most photographed trees and featured in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves starring Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman.

There was national outrage after walkers noticed how part of the tree appeared to have been marked with white paint, indicating someone may have felled it with a chainsaw.

In November two men aged in their 30s were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and were bailed.

In December Walter Renwick, 69, and a 16-year-old boy who can not be named for legal reasons were arrested separately in connection with the felling, but police said they would face no further action.

Following the felling of the tree, hundreds of people flocked to the site daily to pay homage to it.

In March, Northumberland National Park announced the felled tree would go on public display as part of the plan to preserve its world-famous legacy.

And now scientists have begun to bring the iconic tree back to life using seeds and twigs rescued from the scene of the vandalism.

Footage taken at a secret National Trust centre shows a recreation of the tree sprouting up from the ground for the first time since it was chopped down by vandals.

Several seedlings are seen emerging after young twigs and seeds, which were thrown to the ground when the tree fell down, were salvaged by the Trust while a police cordon was still in place and taken to the centre in Devon, which creates copies of some of the country's most famous trees.