Beauly's remarkable 800-year-old Wych elm tree is celebrated with stories, food and art at special Guardian of the Gateway event attended by speakers from Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, NatureScot, author Mandy Haggith and storytellers Fiona Black and Sherry Morris
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
An extraordinary elm tree – believed to be the oldest of its kind in Europe – was celebrated with stories, food and art at a special event in Beauly.
The Wych Elm, found at the entrance to the ruins of Beauly Priory, is more than 800 years old.
Ravaged by Dutch elm disease and with less than five per cent living material remaining, it stands as the last iconic survivor of an ancient avenue of elms.
The Guardian of the Gateway event, attended by almost 100 people, was brought together with funding support from Year of Stories and Historic Environment Scotland.
The artist-run gallery Circus Artspace worked in collaboration with Highland artist Isabel McLeish, who led the introduction.
Other speakers were Phil Baarda (NatureScot) and Max Coleman (Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh), with community stories from Fiona Black and Sherry Morris.
Mandy Haggith gave the first reading of a newly commissioned story.
