Those yet to complete the ‘Light the South’ Art Trail have just over 2 weeks left to lace up their trainers and cross the finish line. Officially ending 1st September 2024, Light the South features an epic trail of 40x 8ft lighthouses, with 35 located in Southampton, 5 in Cowes, plus an additional 40 mini lighthouses on display in shop windows and other landmarks throughout the trail area. Each lighthouse is uniquely designed by local artists, celebrating the culture, heritage, and diversity of the South. The event, proudly presented by Red Funnel, was established in support of the Southampton Hospitals Charity, with funds raised going to the Southampton Children’s Hospital – a vital unit caring for young people and children across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Each original lighthouse sculpture includes a plaque bearing a unique code, which trailgoers can enter into the official ‘Light the South’ app, available for free on the App Store and Google Play stores. Using the app, participants can ‘collect’ their lighthouses, track their progress toward key milestones, and best of all, unlock special offers. Since the start of the trail on 1st July, the lighthouses have amassed thousands of visits, with the most visited sculpture to date being ‘Supermarine Spitfire’, created by Tim Sutcliffe and located outside the Above Bar entrance to Westquay. To make completing the trail even easier and bridge the gap over the Solent, Red Funnel is offering a special foot passenger rate to those who scan either of the ferry operator’s 2 sponsored lighthouses located near their ferry terminals: Solent Ships (Southampton) created by Martin Davey and Light of Green (East Cowes) created by Rachael and Phillippa Corcutt. Those unlocking the special offer at either of these locations can benefit from a special £10 return adult foot passenger ferry fare, a £5 offer for children or a special £25 family rate. These exclusive travel offers are valid on either of Red Funnel’s ferry services, including the operator’s hi-speed Red Jet service between Southampton and West Cowes. In addition to the main sculptures trail, Red Funnel has also launched a new offshoot: the ‘Light the South Window Spotting’ lighthouse trail. This exciting extension features 40 mini replicas of the trail lighthouses, displayed in 40 shop windows across Cowes and East Cowes, making for the perfect activity for locals and visitors looking for another challenge. 
The ‘Window Spotting’ trail will be up until 12th September. Anyone who completes this trail can enter to win 1 of 10 ‘paint your own lighthouse’ sculptures by simply dropping their completed map into the Red Jet terminal at West Cowes, or Red Funnel terminal at East Cowes. To participate, trailgoers can pick up a window spotting map at any Red Funnel terminal and start the hunt. Followers of the trail can also collect 5 ‘Little Light’ sculptures, as designed by Island schools, displayed in shop windows through Cowes Town and enjoy display of 8 bonus artist Little Lights at The East Side Curve in East Cowes, from 26th August for a week. Fran Collins, CEO, Red Funnel, says:
“The trail is a lot of fun and a great way to spend time with friends and family while also getting some exercise and enjoying the sunshine. Several of our Red Funnel colleagues have already completed the trail with their friends, colleagues or family – indeed, one of our colleagues and her children recently logged 22,000 steps finding all the lighthouses in just one day, proving that the Light the South trail can be completed as a one-day challenge. Of course, some may prefer to split the trail into smaller chunks over longer periods. Whichever way you prefer to take on Light the South, we just hope you give it a go, and most of all, have fun!”
For more information on Light the South, visit https://lightthesouth.co.uk.
‘proudly presented by Red Funnel’
Unfortunately, closed due to maintenance and lack of key staff.