BEACON GOES GREEN AS CITY LIGHTS UP FOR CARERS

The Beacon of Light joins Sunderland’s best-loved landmarks in lighting up in the colours of the rainbow in the city’s latest bid to spread hope and show support for key workers. The Northern Spire Bridge and the Penshaw Monument will be lit up, while other city landmarks, including the Beacon of Light, will shine green for carers and other key workers on alternate Thursdays, to coincide with the weekly clap for carers tribute. The Beacon, Fulwell Mill, Keel Square, and the white lighthouse at Seaburn will continue to be lit blue as a symbolic show of support for the NHS every other Thursday. Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Graeme Miller, said: "Rainbows have become a widely recognised symbol of hope during the Coronavirus crisis, so we're delighted to be lighting two of our best loved landmarks in the colours of the rainbow to bring cheer at this time of unprecedented uncertainty. "This mirrors the fantastic community spirit we've seen in Sunderland, with colourful rainbow drawings popping up in windows across our city,  people in their hundreds coming forward to volunteer and some amazing acts of kindness on the part of our residents." Cllr Miller continued: "We'd been lighting our landmarks blue for the last few weeks in tribute to all our fantastic NHS workers risking their lives to lead the national fight back against this killer pandemic. They’re doing an incredible job in the most challenging of circumstances and we all owe them a huge debt of gratitude. "It's only right that we should extend this show of support to all carers and key workers whose selflessness and dedication to duty is helping us get through this pandemic. "Lighting our landmarks and features is a symbolic act of the enormous gratitude the people of Sunderland have for everything all our key workers are doing to protect us and our loved ones." Foundation of Light Managing Director, Jamie Wright added: “As a community charity, we are delighted to be working with the Sunderland City Council and partners to join in the city's celebration of our key workers who are doing a fantastic job of keeping us all safe during this challenging time. They are a credit to this city and we hope that by lighting the Beacon in green and blue, it goes a small way to showing them just how proud we are of their hard work and their dedication." The landmarks and features will be lit from dusk to dawn except Seaburn lighthouse where the lights switch off at 10.30pm and Northern Spire where the lights switch off at midnight. Pre-programmed lighting at Penshaw Monument and the city's other landmarks will continue as normal.