In 2011 it was made public that Trinity House had decided not to re-paint the Beachy Head Lighthouse and allow it to slowly fade to its original grey granite colour.

The news that this world-famous and iconic lighthouse would lose its unmistakable red and white livery caused some controversy.

I had already been vocal about the stripes and had appeared on BBC Sussex breakfast radio to talk about the lighthouse at Beachy Head.

I, together with many others joined the ‘Keep the Beachy Head Lighthouse’s Stripes!’ set up by Shirley Moth. It showed the level of concern among not only local residents but also the nation as people expressed their support by joining the Facebook group, following on Twitter, visiting the website and donating money to help save the stripes.

I  helped with various money making ideas such as the competition in March 2012, idea for a walk to the lighthouse and profits from my book.

Together with the rest of the team we spoke to influential donators and continued with appearances on radio and on TV, the highlight being an appearance on BBC’s Countryfile on 21st October 2012.

We Saves the Stripes!

On the 2nd November Shirley Moth announced that we had successfully raised the £27,000 required to Save the Stripes!

Through the support, dedication and generosity of our members, followers and supporters, we helped save the stripes of the Beachy Head Lighthouse – thank you and well done to all.

‘Save The Stripes’ on Facebook

You can still join the ‘Save the Stripes’ group on Facebook and show your support.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/SavetheStripes/

The group enabled the bringing together of some amazing people, from meteorologists to reporters, from photographers to original lighthouse keepers who were stationed at Beachy Head, lighthouse enthusiasts and general concerned folk.

It is still updated with anecdotes and historical findings and we would welcome further input from people with old photos, postcards and information about the lighthouse.

‘Save The Stripes’ Official Website

The Save the Stripes campaign official website.

http://www.keepthebeachyheadlighthousestripes.org.uk/

It kept people abreast with the latest news and information about the campaign to save the Beach Head lighthouse stripes, including how much money had been raised.

‘Save the Stripes’ Campaign on Twitter

You can follow the Save the Stripes campaign on Twitter.

https://twitter.com/#!/KeeptheStripes

Fund Raising for Beachy Head Lighthouse

Trinity House said that if we could raise £27,000 that they will cover the rest of the money and meet half-way to re-painting the Beachy Head Lighthouse.

Whilst it could be argued that Trinity House have the responsibility of maintaining the lighthouse due to its listed status, at least meeting half-way is a notable gesture to maintaining our much-loved lighthouse.

AM Rotary Eastbourne set up a bank account to take donations and collect money.

The Eastbourne Herald did a great job in keeping everyone updated with progress and the latest news.

Thank you to everyone who helped with this project. Once again, it shows that if enough people believe in something that we can make it happen. Well done everyone.

Beachy Head Lighthouse in the News:

For a list of all media links from the BBC, Eastbourne Herald and more, please visit the Save the Stripes news and media page:

http://www.keepthebeachyheadlighthousestripes.org.uk/links.html