Bridge lighting shines bright

May 23 2008 By Sue Scott, Evening Gazette

A TEESSIDE lighting design company has picked up a national award for illuminating a North-east landmark.

Stainton Lighting Design Services based at Teesside Industrial Estate, Stockton, fitted 440 discreet bulbs to the Queen Alexandra Bridge in Sunderland as part of a major restoration project, which saw the bridge closed for much of last year.

“It was a big challenge,” said consultancy director Anthony Smith.

“With decorative lighting you have to work out where you are going to see it from, but the bridge doesn’t have very many distance viewpoints; it’s quite a closed box structure.

“We lit it as much for the motorists and pedestrians crossing over the bridge.”

The company, which also bathed the Steel Ladle sculpture off the A66 and the Redcar sphere in light, is now working on the electrical design for the North Shore footbridge at Stockton.

Its work on the Sunderland bridge won the company the Transportation Lighting Award in the Lighting Design Awards 2008, organised by the Institution of Lighting Engineers and Lighting magazine, supported by the Lighting Industry Federation and the International Association of Lighting Designers.

“We were up against fairly stiff competition,” said Mr Smith. “We were probably the smallest company in for an award - in our category the final three included St Pancras Station.”