We were delighted to welcome an old friend back to Castle Gardens last week, with James Nash holding his very first art exhibition in our Butterfly House. James spent his weekends as a teenager working at the centre, before leaving in 1997 to pursue a career in engineering, but had a great love of art from a very young age and decided to go back to his artistic roots in 2013.

It was an honour to host James’ Drawn from the Wild exhibition, which not only helped raise awareness of the urgent need for wildlife preservation, but also provided an authentic insight into how animals engage with their natural surroundings. James has spent a huge amount of time drawing live subjects in the wild, so it was wonderful to have him back after almost 20 years and hear about his achievements.

James will be following up this exhibition at the Hawk Conservancy in Andover on the Friday 31 July. On the opening night there will be a spectacular flying display Champagne and canapés and the artwork will remain on display throughout the summer holidays.

Tickets for the opening reception are available online at www.hawk-conservancy.org or by phone 01264 773850.

We wish him every success during this new chapter and look forward to following his work.

Mike