Colourful new resident winging its way to the Fruit Market

The Fruit Market is getting a colourful new resident!

We’re going to be home to one of 40 puffin sculptures that will form a trail designed to attract more visitors to East Yorkshire.

Puffins Galore! is a mass participation public art event which will see 40 1.5m statues of the much-loved, endangered seabirds decorated by artists and positioned at various locations, from Bempton and Flamborough in the north of the county to Spurn Point in the south, and in cities and towns in between.

Each colourful puffin will be sponsored by a business or institution and designed by an artist inspired by one of three key themes – endangered wildlife of our coasts and seas; the global warming crisis and the growth of green energy; and people and stories of the East Yorkshire coast.

The Wykeland Beal joint venture of Wykeland Group and Beal Homes, the partners behind the regeneration of the Fruit Market, are sponsoring the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) “Lifeboats and Lighthouses” puffin.

The colourful puffin will be winging its way to the Fruit Market this summer, as part of the Puffins Galore! sculpture trail.

The puffin, which reflects Yorkshire’s many famous lighthouses and the history of the life-saving charity and is designed by artist Gordon Banks, will be winging its way to a location yet to be confirmed in our thriving urban village this summer.

Wykeland are also sponsoring the “Where the Sea Meets Shore” puffin, which highlights some of the puffin species living on coasts and in seas, and how important it is to care for them as climate change and pollution create huge challenges to their existence.

It will be positioned at Wykeland’s Flemingate retail and leisure destination in Beverley.

Natalia Cleary, Wykeland Culture and Events Manager, said: “We’re thrilled to sponsor two puffins as part of Puffins Galore!

“This creative initiative will highlight East Yorkshire’s many assets and attractions, boost tourism, generate footfall in key locations and support talented local artists.”

Jamie Barrington, Sales Operations Manager for family-based Beal, said: “We’re delighted to support Puffins Galore! with our friends at Wykeland.

“We’re looking forward to the Wykeland Beal-sponsored puffin becoming another quirky local landmark in the Fruit Market, adding to the area’s cultural credentials and delighting visitors throughout the summer.”

Puffins Galore! follows the hugely popular and award-winning “Larkin with Toads” and “A Moth for Amy” projects, both of which Wykeland supported.

Once the puffin trail has come to an end the sculptures will be sold, either to their sponsors or at a grand charity auction.

Proceeds from the sales will be donated to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the RNLI, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Hornsea Inshore Rescue.

For more information on the puffins project, visit www.puffinsgalore.co.uk