Yorkshire Arboretum recycled art exhibition celebrates red squirrels

James Owen Thomas uses single-use items and recycled materials in his work

A new exhibition is celebrating the beauty of the red squirrel through the medium of recycled materials.

Artist James Owen Thomas used the Yorkshire Arboretum's resident squirrels as inspiration, with the late Erik the Red his particular favourite.

He told the BBC: "I wanted to remember him by creating a collage, all made by recycled materials or single-use items like used scratch cards."

The Art of Recycling runs from 22 March until 28 April in Castle Howard.

The arboretum's squirrels live in a 2,500 sq m (26,909 sq ft) enclosure which opened in April 2023 and is designed to keep grey squirrels out.

Yorkshire Arboretum is part of a breeding network that aims to ensure there is a genetically diverse population of the endangered species in captivity.

Mr Thomas says his exhibition celebrates Erik the Red

The exhibition at Yorkshire Arboretum runs until the end of April

Their main threats are the grey squirrel and habitat loss, according to the Wildlife Trusts.

Discussing Erik the Red, who died earlier this year, Mr Thomas added: "Erik is the main focus of my artwork as he was the main star of the arboretum."

John Grimshaw, Yorkshire Arboretum director, said the large enclosure aimed to show people how "delightful native red squirrels are".

"It also tells people about the damage to trees grey squirrels do and makes them aware of how red squirrels should be the squirrel of the countryside," he said.