Environmental murals unveiled ahead of COP26

An artwork by Stephany Perez Morales features endangered species

Street murals highlighting biodiversity loss and climate change have been unveiled around the country ahead of the COP26 conference.

One of the artworks, which were all designed by young people, is called The Future, It's Up To You.

The Leicester mural shows a hedgehog, bumblebees and a great crested newt, alongside a polluted cityscape.

The seven mural designs were all winning entries to the Grantham Institute's Climate Art Prize.

A shark, bluebell and dragonfly feature in the Glasgow mural

Stephany Perez Morales said it was "very exciting" to win.

"The piece shows the present and how we humans play a part in climate change and biodiversity loss," she said.

"I enjoyed participating very much and I learnt a lot about the species that are at risk in Leicester."

The mural was painted by artist Wing Lo outside Warning Zone life skills centre at Frog Island.

He said: "Large-scale murals are a great way to convey messages about the climate crisis and species loss."

A mural designed by Kirsty Lloyd, 22, has been painted on a cafe at Nottingham's Wollaton Hall

The competition, run by the climate and environmental science institute based at Imperial College London, was open to 12 to 25-year-olds and the winning designs were painted by street artists.

The aim of the project was to highlight the issue of biodiversity loss by showing regional endangered species.

The other winning murals are in Brighton, East London, Glasgow, Nottingham, Rochdale and Stoke-on-Trent.

Photographs of the murals will be displayed at COP26, which runs in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November.