THERE was no-one more sceptical than Hugh and Jane Kemp when a forester told them they had red squirrels in their woods.

But now they are thrilled to look out of their windows each day and see the rare creatures playing and feeding in their garden. The Kemps estimate there are at least 15 red squirrels in two distinct families living around their holding at Mirk Pot, in a small valley above Hawes.

What makes it even more special is that they did not deliberately set out to attract them.

Mr and Mrs Kemp moved to the 100-acre holding in 1968 when there was barely a tree in sight - along with the odd bush, there were precisely three hawthorns and two sycamores.

They planned to grow Christmas trees and planted species such as Norway Spruce, Scots Pine and Noble Fir.

"The Noble Fir always attracted good prices; they take eight years to grow six feet whereas Norwegian Spruce grow to that in four or five years," said Mr Kemp.

He confesses that he was more commercially minded and became interested in conservation only through the influence of his wife.

A little over ten years ago he began replacing the stands of Norway Spruce and other Christmas tree varieties with broadleaf trees. Today, the mix of alder, cherry, oak and other native species make up 70pc of the woodland. Scots Pine have been kept as the red squirrels are fond of their cones.

The work has encouraged a diversity of wildlife, including roe deer, hares, kingfishers - and the red squirrels, which are believed to have spread from Cumbria, using the Garsdale conifer forests as a green motorway.

They first appeared three years ago and the Kemps have worked with Defra to encourage the development of a local population.

"It was a wood feller taking some trees out who first told us he had seen a red squirrel, but we thought he was mistaken," said Mr Kemp. "But a few months later I was with a microbiologist who saw a pine cone on the floor and was interested in what had been nibbling it. Then a couple of months later a neighbour rang us and said she had seen red squirrels feeding on her bird table.

"Jane put some coconut out, and nuts, and after a week they started appearing in our garden and it has gone on from there."

Defra has provided two special feeders which help supplement their diet, particularly in winter and while the young are being weaned.Unlike the greys, red squirrels do not hibernate.

The feeders are designed to hold the weight of a red squirrel, but any attempt by the bigger, heavier grey variety triggers a trapdoor, ejecting them from the feeder.

"When we first had the feeders I suddenly heard the trapdoor go and it was two red squirrels who had both been trying to get the feed at the same time," said Mrs Kemp.

Red squirrels feed on seeds from deciduous trees and con-ifers, as well as the shoots of young trees. The feeders contain a mixture of pine nuts, sunflower seeds and peanuts.

Mr Kemp's land lies in the Pennine Dales Environmentally Sensitive Area, where farmers and landowners are paid to manage their land to the benefit of the landscape and wildlife.

Apart from the feeders, Defra has also helped the Kemps with pond restoration and wetland creation which has attracted waders, dunlin and herons. It is also advising on how best to thin the woodland to encourage a wide variety of wildlife and provide "elbow room" for oak trees and hawthorn to develop.

Mr Kemp said he really became interested in conservation about 15 years ago. "We decided to look closely at what we were growing," he said. "Actually doing it is a bit like turning an oil tanker round, but we are getting very tangible results. We've not much land but look on it as a wildlife oasis."

Lee Pike, Defra project officer for the Pennine Dales ESA, has overseen the project since the feeders were installed. She said that what Mr Kemp had achieved in the valley was a lesson in careful management.

"Hugh's approach shows that increasing biodiversity can dovetail with commercial forestry with benefits for all," she said. "Everyone involved in managing the biodiversity of the ESA has a wish-list of native species they'd like to see return to the area, red squirrels are at the top of most of them."

The Forestry Commission and Yorkshire Dales National Park are also involved and Mr Kemp hopes to be able to plant some more Scots Pine, along with native species, to create the perfect mix for red squirrels.