Charity lighthouse trail to end with final display

A trail made up of lighthouse sculptures which have been on display across Plymouth over the summer is set to conclude with a final exhibition before they are sold at auction.

The Guiding Lights trail was organised by St Luke's Hospice Plymouth to raise money and awareness of its end of life care.

The 42 lighthouses making up the trail were first unveiled at an exhibition in July before being moved to multiple locations across the city for people to enjoy.

St Luke's Hospice said the sculptures would all be displayed together for the last time at the Market Hall, Devonport, between 25-27 September. The lighthouses will then go under the hammer at the University of Plymouth on 1 October.

The charity said the 42 big lighthouses were designed and decorated by individual artists and sponsored by local businesses, while a further 42 little lighthouses, designed by schools, were displayed at the Box Gallery and Museum, and another 10 sculptures toured venues across Devon.

It said the Guiding Lights Farewell Weekend exhibition would give people a final chance to see all 92 sculptures together.

The charity said its last fundraising auction, a parade of 40 colourful elephant sculptures, sold for more than £330,000 which went towards patient care.

St Luke's events manager Georgina Dyke said she was "overwhelmed" by the response to the trail.

She said the farewell weekend would be a "fantastic opportunity to experience the sculptures up close and celebrate the creativity and community spirit that have made Guiding Lights so special".

Dyke said the funds made from the auction would "help us continue providing compassionate end of life care and support for local families at the most difficult of times".

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