HAVING lit up the night sky over Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch for three nights last week, the Global Rainbow has been hailed a ‘shining success’ for the region.

American artist Yvette Mattern’s renowned light art installation was hosted by Lighthouse, Poole, as a beacon of hope for the future and a signal of the venue’s resilience as it builds back from the dark days of the pandemic.

“As an expression of optimism and a signal of the way forward, Global Rainbow has been a shining success,” said Tim Colegate, head of programming at Lighthouse.

“Thanks to funding from BCP Council with the support of the Garfield Weston Foundation and Poole BID, as well as sponsorship from HSBC UK, we have been able to host a dramatic and entirely positive cultural experience that focusses on how the arts can give us all a lift.

“And the community has responded in the most amazing and creative way, sharing photos and stories on social media in their thousands.”

In the five days from the first test transmissions last Wednesday, Lighthouse reported its Facebook page likes had rocketed by more than 700 per cent and views of its Facebook page were up by more than 500 per cent, reaching well over 140,000 people.