St Michael's Mount goes red for Heart Month
The historic castle was illuminated to support the British Heart Foundation's fundraising campaign
Last updated 2nd Feb 2023
One of the South West’s most iconic structures, St Michael’s Mount, has been lit up red.
The castle was illuminated last night (Wednesday 1 February), as the British Heart Foundation (BHF) launched Heart Month.
As part of this, the charity is asking people to raise funds for their work by 'going red' any way they can.
Watching the historic building turn red was local fine artist Jeremy Sanders. He produced a one-off oil painting of the castle whilst it was illuminated.
The finished landscape will then be auctioned online on behalf of the BHF.
Mark Hawkins, BHF Fundraising Manager for Devon and Cornwall, said: "While the castle ‘goes red’ for one night only, we are delighted to be working with Jeremy to capture this moment for posterity. He has kindly donated his professional skills to create a unique artwork that will be auctioned on our behalf.
"It is a great example of the creative ways that people can ‘Go Red’ and support our lifesaving research."
The BHF funds research into heart and circulatory diseases like heart attacks, stroke and vascular dementia, and the risk factors that can cause them, such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Since forming in 1961, the charity has funded research that has contributed to lifesaving breakthroughs such as heart transplants, pacemakers, portable defibrillators, and valve replacements.
However, despite huge progress, heart and circulatory diseases still cause more than 160,000 deaths in the UK every year.
People can get more information about the Go Red fundraising campaign here.