KILNSEY Park is highlighting the plight of the endangered red squirrel by opening its doors free of charge this weekend (October 7 and 8).

The Red Squirrel weekend will feature action packed activities for children and red squirrel talks by the park's owner Vanessa Roberts.

The park has been operating a red squirrel conservation project for a decade.

Owner Mrs Roberts said: "I feel very passionately about protecting red squirrels and I hope that by having this special weekend we can raise awareness of the huge difficulties facing them."

She added: "I would like visitors to understand that the red squirrel is indigenous to this country and if we don't work actively to preserve them, they will be extinct for ever."

Our native species, immortalised in the Beatrix Potter books as Squirrel Nutkin, is threatened by its grey counterpart.

Introduced from North America in the 1970s, the greys carry a squirrel pox virus, which is harmless to them but kills the reds within two weeks.

The larger non-natives now outnumber reds 66 to one and estimated numbers have reached two million.

Yorkshire-based design and communications company Red Squirrel Media is sponsoring the weekend.

Like Kilnsey Park, the company is committed to the environment and will donate five per cent of its profits this year to the conservation of red squirrels and their habitats.

Red Squirrel Media will also be giving out entry forms for their free words and pictures competition with prizes for children, adults and schools.

The action packed weekend includes children's arts and crafts activities, a Nutty Squirrel treasure hunt and meeting Rufus, the park's giant red squirrel.

Mrs Roberts added: "At Kilnsey Park our red squirrels are captive which means that they are safe from the grey squirrels.

"They have bred very well this year so we have been able to send seven red squirrels to red squirrel conservation programmes on Anglesey and in the south of England."

Admission and all the events and activities are free of charge.

However, staff would welcome any donations to its Red Squirrel fund as it costs Kilnsey Park £80 per week to feed them.