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Stolen 'nutcracker' figure found dumped on street

York BID Great Britain-themed Nutcracker statue, decorated with Union Flag, with three people and a York BID-branded vanYork BID
The sculpture is part of York BID's Nutcracker Trail, which celebrates the city's diverse communities

A sculpture stolen from York's annual Christmas Nutcracker Trail has been found "slightly shaken" but in one piece dumped on a street, organisers have said.

It was realised early on Thursday that the figure, one of 10 representing different nationalities of people living in the city, had disappeared from its location at Barley Hall.

The missing nutcracker, representing Great Britain, was found wrapped in plastic bags and a pink blanket with frost on his face, according to York BID, which runs the trail.

Carl Alsop, operations manager at York BID, said: "With the support of our partners, we knew we’d be able to track our nutcracker down, and we were thrilled when we found him."

York BID Great Britain Nutcracker wrapped up in plastic bags and a pink blanket by a brick wall.York BID
The missing "nutcracker" sculpture was found wrapped in bags and a fluffy blanket, according to York BID

York BID had worked with local artist MarcoLooks, otherwise known as Marc Godfrey-Murphy, to create this year's trail.

Its theme was intended to celebrate the unique and diverse communities that make up York's population, with 10 sculptures dotted around the city for visitors to find, organisers said.

Mr Alsop said: "I’d like to think someone just wanted to offer him a little extra warmth.

"While a nice thought, we’d like to remind everyone that our nutcrackers are built to weather the cold and prefer staying in place for everyone to enjoy."

York BID Divers and police officers in nighttime by the river Foss in York, posing with "nutcracker" figure dressed in a soldier's uniformYork BID
In 2022, another Nutcracker Trail sculpture was stolen and had to be rescued from the river Foss

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said officers had "received reports of the item being stolen from the city centre and later located by the owners in a residential area close to the city centre".

Anyone with information about what had happened to the nutcracker sculpture overnight was asked to contact police, they added.

In 2022, two figures which were part of that year's Christmas Nutcracker Trail were also stolen, with one of them later found dumped in the river Foss.

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