Lighthouse sculptures coming to Southampton and Cowes as part of fundraising event
The art event will be on for eight weeks next summer to raise money for Southampton Children's Hospital
An art trail of 40 lighthouse sculptures is set to take over Southampton and Cowes as part of a public art event to raise money for the Southampton Children's Hospital.
Light the South will see the Southampton Hospitals Charity team up with art trail experts Wild in Art, which has previously hosted trails in cities across the UK and worldwide for a decade.
Each lighthouse sculptures will stand at 8ft tall on the streets and open spaces of Southampton and Cowes for eight weeks. Each masterpiece will be sponsored by different businesses and designed by artists both local and well renowned.
Ellis Banfield, Southampton Hospitals Charity Director, said: “We’re thrilled to bring a spectacular art installation to Southampton and Cowes in 2024. Light the South will weave together the best culture, heritage, and diversity the South has to offer, and we hope our community is as excited as we are that this public event will be coming to Southampton and Cowes. As well as creating a brilliant adventure for families, Light the South will help Southampton Hospitals Charity to shine a light on, and raise vital funds for, our Children’s Hospital.”
The sculptures will be auctioned off to raise money for Southampton Hospitals Charity to support Southampton Children’s Hospital in September 2024.
Southampton and Cowes businesses are now being invited to come on board and show their support for the event through a range of different sponsorship packages. The Southampton-based cross Solent ferry operator and travel and leisure company, Red Funnel, was the first company to become one of two presenting partners for the trail.
Red Funnel CEO, Fran Collins, said, “Red Funnel is immensely proud to be sponsoring the Light the South art trail to support Southampton Hospitals Charity. It is extremely important to us that we make a meaningful and positive difference in our local community, and I’m delighted that money raised will support Southampton Children’s Hospital. Not only does the hospital treat and care for children from both the communities we serve in Southampton and the Isle of Wight, but also the families of our 460 employees.
"For me personally, I think Light the South is going to be a fantastic way of supporting employee engagement and give us a different way to communicate and engage with our customers and stakeholders and I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for Red Funnel and our partnership with Southampton Hospitals Charity.”
Schools will also be able to get involved in a whole range of creative learning activities and they’ll even be given the chance to design and adopt their very own mini Lighthouse sculpture.
If you’re an artist, represent a business, school, college, or local community group and want to be involved, or are interested in finding out more, visit the Light the South website or contact the charity.