Artist’s sculpture of lighthouse lights up charity auction

A NEWQUAY artist’s sculpture of a lighthouse lit up an auction room to raise £8,400 for charity.

Diane Griffith’s artwork titled Celestial Beacon went under the hammer at the Guiding Lights charity auction in aid of St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth.

Celestial Beacon spent the summer on display in Plymouth as part of St Luke’s Guiding Lights, a city-wide public art trail featuring 41 large lighthouse sculptures alongside 51 smaller lighthouses created by schools and community groups.

The multi award winning artist’s design transformed the lighthouse into a night sky over Plymouth, combining real constellations with local landmarks, fireworks inspired by the British Firework Championships and hidden details for visitors to discover. Fluorescent elements also meant parts of the design come alive under UV light.

The sculpture was sponsored by Ridge and was on display throughout the summer before returning with the other Guiding Lights for the charity auction on October 1.

Online bidding for Celestial Beacon opened at £3,000 and had already reached £3,800 by the time the live auction got properly under way. From there, the price continued to climb as an online bidder competed with a bidder in the room, before the hammer eventually came down at £8,400.

Diane said: “I was watching the auction live from home and honestly couldn’t believe it when the bidding just kept going. I’d already been delighted to see the first £3,000 bid, so to watch Celestial Beacon eventually sell for £8,400 was incredibly exciting.

“The most important thing is knowing that something I created has raised such a fantastic amount for St Luke’s. It was a huge project to take on, but seeing people interact with Celestial Beacon during the trail and then watching that final chapter unfold made all those hours completely worthwhile.”