The Bristol landmark is going to be lit!
Despite those quiet days in lockdown, Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol is now back up and running with tours, and it even has a sparkly surprise coming your way. It was previously the setting for a romantic dance between a Bristol couple, and now, it has been announced that the bridge will be putting on a show this October.
The most well-known landmark in Bristol is set to light up soon to “spread a giant smile across the city”, following a successful crowdfunding campaign. Local people and businesses who donated to Clifton Suspension Bridge’s Light the Night appeal last year have voted which colour to illuminate Clifton Suspension Bridge, with the result being blue.
The Clifton Suspension Bridge light show will take place on the night of October 22, with the exact time unknown in order to run the event in a Covid-secure way. The team is hosting a live stream on Twitter, meaning the public can watch it at home and remain safe and warm.
The Light the Night campaign, part of the UK-wide #SupportOurMuseums initiative run by the Museums Association, managed to raise a total of £13,390 in 28 days. The campaign was launched when staff from the Clifton Suspension Bridge Visitor Centre appealed for funds to support their work following a huge loss of income due to the lockdowns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Visitor Centre manager, Laura Hilton, said: “The Visitor Centre is part of the Clifton Suspension Bridge Charitable Trust and is usually reliant on income from visitor donations, shop sales and tours. When we closed the venue in March, we lost all of these revenue sources and had to think creatively about fundraising. The campaign has not only helped us to fund core work behind the scenes, but our team can now spread a giant smile across the city.”
We'll be going live later today. Watch all the action unfold right here… pic.twitter.com/Hea7eulGfp
— Clifton Suspension Bridge (@brunelsbridge) October 22, 2021
The Visitor Centre team initially set out to raise £10,000, but hit their target four days before the close of the campaign, with help from local public boarding school, Clifton College, to take it over the target. The additional funds will not only help to support the team, which is working remotely through lockdown to deliver online learning, but also allow the addition of laser effects to the lighting display.
Chair of Trustees, Chris Booy, said: “Each donor who claimed a campaign reward voted for their favourite colour and blue was by far the most popular option with 35 per cent of the vote. Lighting the bridge in colour requires specialist lighting equipment and we are delighted that the bridge will be illuminated using a colour scheme chosen by local people.”
Be sure to keep a look at on Clifton Suspension Bridge’s Twitter page (@brunelsbridge) to watch the action unfold, but if you miss it, you can watch the recording on their page once it has finished.