Stonehenge lights up to honour 'heritage champions'
The stunt's been arranged by the National Lottery
A special projection's been beamed onto the side of the world famous stones, to show images of some of people 'who have worked tirelessly to keep the UK's heritage accessible during the pandemic and beyond'.
It's all to highlight the importance of National Lottery funding on the heritage sector.
James Rodliff from English Heritage is one of the people that was projected onto the stones - he's the Operations Manager at Stonehenge:
"I'm surprised and humbled by this recognition from The National Lottery. I certainly didn't expect to turn up to work and see my face up in lights. English Heritage has worked exceptionally hard - at Stonehenge and the hundreds of historic sites in our care - to look after these inspiring places and to welcome back people safely to them.
"Over the years, the National Lottery has helped to transform Stonehenge including removing the old visitor facilities beside the monument and creating a new visitor centre that does justice to this wonder of the world."
Since the pandemic began, 92% of the staff at Stonehenge have been furloughed.
James and the small team that stayed on kept up the care and conservation of the monument, and got it ready for reopening in July.
The projection was virtually hosted by TV historian, Sir Tony Robinson.
He said it's an important bit of recognition:
"I love the fact that Stonehenge is being lit up as a tribute to some of the country's key project workers and volunteers, letting the public know about the hard work they've been doing to keep our heritage accessible to everyone using National Lottery funding. Without the graft and tireless effort of these wonderful people, our much-loved heritage would be more at risk than ever this year.
"As a nation we have a deep love for our open spaces and historic places. Understanding our heritage makes us feel closer to where we live and can bring a great deal of joy. Lots of us have spent many hours during lockdown enjoying our culture and heritage, and these findings prove what a positive impact this has had on people's happiness and well-being, especially during such difficult times."
National Lottery players raise around £30 million for good causes every single week.
That's put towards things like the Heritage Lottery Fund and during the Covid-19 crisis, has been supporting communities, making a huge difference to people's wellbeing, particularly those who are vulnerable and isolated.