Isle of Wight red squirrel sanctuary unveiled by charity

The Isle of Wight Red Squirrel Trust has bought 12 acres of woodland at Harding Shute, Ryde.

The conservation charity opened the woodland, named Howes Wood on October 7.

The sanctuary is named after Simon Howes, who raised over £100,000 for the charity, rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

Simon, a retired stockbroker from Fishbourne, became the second oldest person to complete the feat as he rowed over 5,300 kilometres from Europe to St. Lucia unassisted.

He was 67 years old when he completed the challenge in 2023.

Simon Howes alongside his book, Atlantic Rower (Image: Simon Howes)

Simon recently released a book about his expedition, Atlantic Rower.

In the book, he gives an account of his time between the oars, documenting the highs and lows of the gruelling challenge.

He recently spoke at the IW Literary Festival about the book, interviewed by ITV producer Steve Ancsell.