Unique bird-spotting challenge as puffin trail with 40 colourful sculptures to go up along Yorkshire's coast

Forty colourful sculptures of puffins, decorated with unique designs, will go up along the Yorkshire coast next May, as part of a new trail.

The 1.5m high sculptures, will be decorated by artists, with 10 going up in Bridlington and half a dozen in Hornsea.

There will be others at Withernsea and Spurn, as well as at Bempton, where the birds, with their comical gait and brilliantly coloured bills are a sought after sight.

Puffin Galore! has been organised by the team responsible for the Larkin with Toads project of 2010 and A Moth for Amy of 2016, which sprung up round Hull and East Yorkshire.

The latter is estimated to have attracted 150,000 visitors.

Organiser Rick Welton said: “It’ll work because once people have seen one, it’s a bit like stamp-collecting or bird spotting - people will want to see them all.

“Puffins are an iconic species and are also endangered, and one of the objects of the trail is to raise awareness.”

Next Wednesday (November 17) Sir John Lawton, President of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, will be launching a sponsorship drive at Bridlington Spa.

Businesses have been invited to come and find out about the project which aims to increase visitor numbers to East Yorkshire coastal resorts.

Sir John will be joined by Clive Rowe-Evans, Chair of Yorkshire Coast BID, who will explain the tourist impact and its benefits for East Coast small businesses.

Manager of St Stephen’s Shopping Centre Jim Harris said as previous sponsors of an Amy Johnson Moth and a Larkin Toad, they'd witnessed at first hand the "amazing" impact the

sculptures have on visitor numbers.