As an autumnal breeze rustles through copper-coloured leaves, JB Gill stops for a moment to take in the view. “You see the oak tree sapling there?” he says. “It’s one of my favourite trees. I planted it with my children a few years ago and I can’t wait to see it in the future, when my kids are adults, to see how much it has also grown.”
Of all the career choices to take after six years in JLS, one of the UK’s most popular boybands, becoming a farmer was probably the most surprising, but for Gill, it was something he felt instinctively drawn to.
“I just love being outdoors and in nature,” he says, surrounded by the Kent farm he calls home. “For me, there’s no better place to live and work – there are so many physical and mental benefits of our beautiful outdoor surroundings to enjoy.” And after years of screaming fans at gigs, from Wembley to Wakefield, presumably the solitude is another draw too. “It definitely brings me a lot of peace,” he says.
Having set up his farm and fronted the CBeebies show Down on the Farm, Gill became even more invested in the great outdoors when he became a Woodland Trust ambassador in 2020. The role sees him champion the protection of woodland and the planting of trees across the UK.
Gill with his favourite sapling: ‘I planted it with my children a few years ago and I can’t wait to see it in the future’
“The outdoors is for everyone,” he says. “Whether you live in the countryside or you’re from the inner city, we are all able to appreciate what the outdoors has to offer. That appreciation began for me as a young boy growing up in a rural community in the Caribbean and I believe it’s never too early to get children and young people out into the countryside.”
But the UK’s countryside and woodland is under threat; whether it’s from local councils allowing trees to be chopped down or private businesses bulldozing through woodland for their own benefit. One of the most shocking recent events was the destruction of the iconic Sycamore Gap tree in Northumberland. In September 2023, it was illegally felled with a chainsaw for no discernible reason, by two men in what police called “a deliberate act of vandalism”.
The iconic Sycamore Gap tree that was illegally felled in 2023. Photograph: Alamy
The destruction of this particular tree – seen as an emblem of the north-east, and also known as the Robin Hood tree, after appearing in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves – hit the UK public hard. There was a national outpouring of grief over the devastation of such a beloved tree – and puzzlement as to what could possibly have prompted such a calamitous act.
“I think some people see the destruction of that particular tree as akin to tearing up a classic painting,” says Jack Taylor, programme lead at Woods Under Threat – part of the Woodland Trust. “The destruction of something so perfect and so beautiful feels like a stab to people’s hearts. I would certainly say that trees really are part of our national identity. Especially old gnarly trees, like the great old oaks in Sherwood Forest, or Richmond Park or Windsor.
“A lot of people have a favourite tree,” he adds, “and the Sycamore Gap tree was that for many people; they might have proposed to their partner there. It might be the first or last place they took a beloved pet for a walk. Maybe they spread the ashes of a loved one there. People connect to trees – and people empathise when that connection is lost.”
At the time of the tree’s felling, the poet Robert Macfarlane said: “What a response it has called out: grief, poems, paintings, drawings, photographs, stories, memories.” But, he added: “How do we use that feeling, that strength of that feeling and turn it to the good?”
It’s something that Gill has been considering too. “Unfortunately it takes a real tragedy like the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree to really reconnect us to the importance of protecting our oldest and most iconic trees,” he says. “Trees are a key part of history, and when we experience the loss or mistreatment of our history I think it makes everyone stand up and take ownership.”
Gill has been a Woodland Trust ambassador since 2020: ‘The outdoors is for everyone,’ he says
The loss or anger felt over the Sycamore Gap tree, or the mass felling of street trees in Sheffield, can be harnessed into action, says Taylor. Beyond these very public outcries about crimes against nature, there are people across the UK campaigning to protect many other green spaces and woodlands.
This sense of community activism is what drives the Woodland Trust. Since its beginnings in 1972, it has strived to create a world in which woods and trees thrive for the benefit of nature and humans. To date, it has saved more than 1,200 woods from destruction and is restoring 38,000 hectares (94,000 acres) of precious ancient woodland. In addition, it has planted 68.5m trees since 1972.
“There are a variety of ways to get involved,” says Taylor. “From volunteering to help map ancient trees, to becoming a member – membership supports everything we do. The more members we have, the more we can do. I think it’s so vital to support us because I don’t think there is anybody else in the country focusing specifically on protection of ancient woods and ancient veteran trees. We are one of the frontline protectors.”
In the meantime, back on Gill’s farm the land is being prepared for the autumn harvest, while he keeps a close eye on his favourite sapling. “I really think that getting out in nature helps give us all a greater appreciation for the outdoors,” he says. “We have to be responsible stewards, and in return we get the physical and mental benefits of enjoying beautiful outdoor surroundings.”
Protect the drama of the woods
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