ST MARY’S church tower in Wotton under Edge will be lit up blue again tonight (Thursday) as a symbol of hope and to pay tribute to the brave frontline workers leading the fight against coronavirus.

Sound technician Joe Hall had the idea of illuminating the the historic venue, as part of the Clap For Our Carers campaign, and it was bathed in blue for the first time last Thursday.

Joe works for events company SXS and he was able to borrow the necessary equipment from them.

He said: “I wanted to create a beacon in Wotton to show the key workers living in our town just how much we appreciate their hard work.

“During a walk around the town I realised that the church was easily seen from most parts of town and figured I could use my skills to highlight it.

“I think keeping morale high is important at the moment, many local people haven’t left their homes since lockdown.

“Creating a beacon people can see from various points around the town gives them a unifying symbol to help remind people of what a beautiful town we live in.

“It’s also important we show our gratitude to the key workers risking their health to keep us going.

“Once I decided I wanted to illuminate the church I asked my dad, who is a member of the church, to ask churchwarden Jackie Excell to suggest the idea to the church’s committee, and they voted unanimously in favour of it.

“It was satisfying to see this landmark I’ve grown up knowing, transformed for the evening.

“And I am very pleased to be able to give my time to give back to the community.

“This evening (Thursday) I am going to attempt to illuminate the tower from all four sides, hopefully it’ll be seen by everyone in town.”

Churchwarden Jackie Excell said: “We are most grateful to Joe for his enthusiasm and willingness to bring this to our community in Wotton. Seeing the blue vision from Water Lane walking towards the church was quite humbling and an emotional experience.

“All being well we will be lighting the tower again this evening (Thursday) from 8pm to 10.30pm.”