Scarborough’s unique ‘cardboard wonderland’ has returned to the town’s Old Parcels Office after enchanting audiences last year.

The brainchild of paper artist Steve Wintercroft, the event – known as ‘Grue’ – aims to provide a ‘walk-through experience of rooms and spaces’ filled with cardboard sculptures on an ecological theme that are designed to amuse, entertain and challenge young and old alike.

The ‘eco-friendly exploration’, featuring sculptures created by 400 volunteers and members of the local community which were assembled over 15 days, runs at the Old Parcels Office exhibition space in Scarborough's station car park until December 23.

York Press: A giant cardboard tree sculptureA giant cardboard tree sculpture (Image: Giles Rocholl)

“We had such an amazing reception for such a new and innovative concept last year that we are delighted to bring a brand new Grue to Scarborough this December,” said Rach Drew of ARCADE, the Scarborough-based arts company producing the attraction.

“After we closed last December, every last scrap of cardboard was recycled, so once again, we’re creating this world from the ground up, and with some very ambitious pieces of cardboard sculpture planned to make this world feel familiar and yet different.

“There has been an army of 400 contributors, cutting out, sticking tape and glueing to make different components of the display, under Steve’s watchful eye, so this is very much a team effort.”

York Press: Creating a forest of cardboard fir treesCreating a forest of cardboard fir trees (Image: Giles Rocholl)

Visitors to Grue will ‘travel through a range of different locations, including forest, mountain and sky, as well as meeting cardboard characters tall and small’ as they seek to solve a problem, Steve explains. Organisers of the event hope it will ‘empower people to believe they are capable of building items which, although at first might appear complex, will look fantastic when complete’.

“While Grue is undoubtedly in the Wintercroft style, each piece is individual to its maker and it is possible for our 400 builders to come back and spot their own work," Rach said.

Grue will be open at weekends and during the school holidays up until December 23.

Visitors will each be allocated 20 minute timeslots. There is a suggested ticket price of £3.50 – but entry is on a ‘pay what you can’ basis, to ensure that it is accessible to everyone.

Admission is free for people on benefits. Tickets can be booked online at hello-arcade.com/grue-2022