Poppy Appeal 2004

Essential Lighting supplied Martin MAC 2000 Washes to light three central London bridges - Waterloo, Westminster and Hungerford – in red for the 2004 Poppy Appeal, an annual event held by the Royal British Legion on Remembrance Day.

The special lighting scheme – which tied in with other events happening along London’s South Bank for the evening - was designed by Rick Hussey, who works regularly with Essential on all types of projects. It was co-ordinated for Essential by Martin Lubach and site managed by Barry Tofield.

A total of 28 MAC 2K Washes were used to light the three bridges, complete with assorted lenses to optimise the beam spread. The lights – all cased in weatherproof domes - were located at various pavement vantage points, which were severely limited due to access and health and safety issues. However, with considerable lateral thinking and a bit of ingenuity, enough points were found to produce dramatic, saturated red glows across the bridges. “This took a lot of research in a short space of time,” says Essential’s Martin Lubach.

Waterloo Bridge produced the densest lighting effect as its Portland Stone construction absorbed the light beautifully, allowing the structure to glow warmly in the cool November air.

Lubach comments on the MAC 2K Washes, “They are currently the brightest wash light available and so were the obvious choice for the job. We use them extensively and have always found them highly reliable and robust for exterior use.”

Lighting on the night was operated by Jason Harvey. Overall production manager was Roger Oakley working for event producers The Bank.

The first official Legion Poppy Day was held in Britain on 11 November 1921, inspired by the World War One poem In Flanders' Fields. Poppies – the symbol of Remembrance and the only thing that grew in the aftermath of the WWI battlefields of Northern France – were sold to raise funds for ex-service people. Since then, the Poppy Appeal has been a key annual event in the nation's calendar.