Residents in Burnham-On-Sea got a first chance on Saturday (March 29th) to see two of the mini lighthouses that will be part of the town’s new lighthouse trail launching later this Spring.
HABA (Highbridge and Burnham Artists) is overseeing the display of more than thirty 6ft-tall replicas of Burnham’s iconic beach lighthouse across the town from May.
Two of the lighthouses were put on display outside the Bay View Cafe on the seafront and another outside Lloyds Bank in the High Street on Saturday as residents got an early glimpse of the first lighthouses.
One of the organisers, Paul Plume, who has built the wooden lighthouses told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We’re delighted with the positive response. There’s been great feedback and we’re launching forward to May’s launch.”
Ian Jefferies, Burnham’s tourist information centre manager, added: “The lighthouses are a fabulous idea to encourage more people to visit the area and they will hopefully bring lots of visitors into the Burnham over the summer. We have received lots of positive feedback.”
The Lighthouse Trail will be launching on May 3rd and shall raise funds for the locally-based Petal cancer support charity. It’s hoped they’ll attract extra visitors into the area – the decorated lighthouses will also be located in Brean, Lympsham, Watchfield and Highbridge. The lighthouses will be installed in supermarkets, shops, tourist destinations, holiday camps and one will be at Burnham’s Marine Cove.
They are being built at Woodberry Brothers and Haines in Highbridge, which is providing the materials and workshop space for free.
HABA’s Sarah Berryman told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We saw the success of the Gromit trail in Bristol and thought it would be great to have a trail here in Burnham. Our lighthouse is unique to Burnham and the perfect structure for this project.”
Pictured: Artrist Sue Hammond-Lovatt, who designed the seafront lighthouse, with Ian Jefferies, Burnham’s tourist information centre manager and Paul Plume, who has built the wooden lighthouses
