Tomorrow is the last opportunity to vote for the Major Oak to become European Tree of the Year.

England is being represented by the Major Oak, which is within Sherwood Forest Country Park, and was the legendary hideout of Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

To vote, go to http://bit.ly/VoteMajorOak #VoteMajorOak

Voting closes on Saturday night.

Keen wildlife enthusiasts such as The Tree Hunter Rob McBride and TV presenter Simon King have backed the Major Oak through social media channels.

There has been support from Natural England, Experience Nottinghamshire, local councils across the county, sports clubs including Nottingham Forest FC and also from the Woodland Trust which named the Major Oak as England’s Tree of the Year last year.

The Major Oak is visited each year by hundreds of thousands of visitors and the country park is managed by Nottinghamshire County Council.

And Phil Rose, who played Friar Tuck in the 1984-1986 television series Robin of Sherwood has also backed the campaign both through voting and across social media channels.

Phil said: “The Major Oak, in Sherwood Forest, has to be the most iconic tree within the Robin Hood story. If we consider the tree as an actor, its (his)story presents a backdrop of what we wanted to achieve on the Robin of Sherwood series, the immersion and home in Nottingham woods. Robin of Sherwood, though filmed in a number of locations, was originally intended to be set, deep in the Forest near Nottingham mainly in the vicinity of this famous tree.

“As actors, we would have to rest from the rain between takes and often, this would be near a tree, a representation of the Major Oak, so we can sympathize with Robin and his band of Merry Men, when they too, sheltered in the stories.

“Without a good setting, the play is flat, without the tree, the woods are just woods, so we have to see the Major Oak as a principle actor, in the whole Robin Hood story.

“Having such a remarkable principle actor then gives credence to its surroundings. It makes Robin Hood famous; it gives Nottingham an importance that is not just local but universal.

“The stories are told around the world and it all comes back to this old tree, the Major Oak, so we cannot thank the Oak enough for putting Robin of Sherwood, Robin Hood and even Nottinghamshire on the tourist map. And as Friar Tuck, I would rest my staff and my head under this great oak with pleasure.”

Robin Hood fans in Sherwood Oregon and the New York Renaissance Faire in America have links to the annual Robin Hood Festival which takes place every year at Sherwood Forest, and are also getting behind the European bid.

Spokesman Susan Danz, from the Robin Hood Festival in Oregon, America, said: “We are delighted to be backing this campaign. We enjoy close links with our friends in Sherwood Forest in the UK through our respective annual festivals which celebrate the life and times of Robin Hood and it would be great if the Major Oak can win.”

Councillor John Knight, Committee Chairman for Culture, at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The Major Oak touches people’s hearts and their imagination. It is one of the most iconic and best known trees in the world and it would be a fitting tribute if it could win this European award. We hope everyone can get behind the campaign.”

This year’s winner will be announced on March 5 with the awards ceremony taking place on April 22 at the EU Parliament in Brussels.

The council was delighted that the tree, Robin Hood’s famous hideout, won the Woodland Trust’s Tree of the Year title last year, which has enabled it to enter the European contest.