When the lights go out
How many did you find?
Have you spent the summer hunting lighthouses? We have!
If you've found yourself wandering around Plymouth with a map in one hand and your phone in the other, stopping every few minutes to photograph a brightly decorated lighthouse, you're certainly not alone.
Since July, St Luke's Guiding Lights trail has turned Plymouth into one giant treasure hunt, with more than 40 full-size lighthouse sculptures appearing at locations around the city and beyond.
Each has its own design, created by an artist and brought to life with the support of a sponsor.
And the trail has proved to be rather addictive. Whilst Positive Plymouth can’t boast a complete collection, we did give it a really good go!
Several times, one was spotted whilst out driving in the car - and there was an instant compulsion to pull over (safely, of course!), park up and head back to take a photo.
There’s something particularly satisfying about finding one you've been looking for, taking the obligatory photograph and logging it on your app.
More than just a treasure hunt
There’s been another really lovely side effect, too.
Stand beside one of the lighthouses for just a few minutes and someone will almost inevitably come and stand beside you.
They might be satisfying their addiction too, stopping to find out what a lighthouse is doing in the middle of the city, or simply wondering what on earth you're doing.
Before long, complete strangers are chatting, exchanging notes about how many they've found, asking which is their favourite and comparing how many are still on their list.
Perhaps that's one of the nicest things about Guiding Lights. It hasn't simply encouraged people to explore Plymouth; it has given them something to talk about when they get there.
But what happens to the lighthouses?
If, like us, you’ve a photo album full of these colourful statues, you may be wondering what happens when the trail comes to an end.
The answer is they’ll be heading for new homes.
After the public trail finishes, the large and roaming sculptures will be auctioned in aid of St Luke's Hospice Plymouth at the Guiding Lights Grand Auction on Thursday 1 October. (See our Events page for details.)
The expected reserve price for each lighthouse is £3,000, although if St Luke's previous sculpture trail is anything to go by, some could go for considerably more.
The elephant in the room
This isn't St Luke's first venture into the world of giant public art.
Back in 2019, Plymouth was invaded by colourful elephants as part of Elmer's Big Parade.
When the 40 large Elmer sculptures eventually went under the hammer, they raised an astonishing £323,750 for St Luke's.
According to the hospice, that was enough to provide more than 350 families with hospice care at home.
So while we don't yet know what the Guiding Lights auction will raise, there’s every reason to hope that Plymouth's lighthouses will leave another sizeable legacy.
And the need is considerable. St Luke's says it costs more than £13.6 million each year to provide its services, with government support covering around 30% of that cost.
The rest has to come largely from the generosity of the local community.
That means the lighthouses have been doing two jobs this summer: bringing a bit of colour, fun, chat and exploration to Plymouth, whilst also raising awareness and, ultimately, money for an organisation providing specialist care to local people and their families.
Waiting for the hammer to fall…
The trail ended on 13 September. And if you've already collected them all, perhaps it's time to start choosing your favourite.
Because on 1 October, the question will change from:
“How many have you found?” to: “How much are you going to bid?”
Gallery
A selection of photos from the Positive Plymouth collection
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