Hadrian's Wall to be lit up in amazing spectacle

It is hoped that extensive TV coverage will spread the spectacle abroad.

A separate camera crew will film the line of light as it progresses from Wallsend to the west coast with pictures being beamed to giants screens in Carlisle and at two major events in the North East, details of which will be revealed later.

It is estimated that lighting the Wall will generate £1m in extra visitor spending as people roll up for the weekend to witness the sight.

The venture, led by Hexham-based Hadrian's Wall Heritage Ltd , will take place on March 13 as a flagship event for British Tourism Week 2010.

It will also be part of the programme of events by culture 10 in the North East, whose theme for 2009-10 is landscape and heritage.

"The Wall is a great combination of landscape and heritage and its illumination would be a spectacular combination of both," said Linda Tuttiett, chief executive of Hadrian's Wall Heritage.

One of the attractions will be to watch the line of light creep across the country, but there will be a period of around 20 minutes when the whole Wall is lit up.

The plan is to stage the event at dusk, when elements of the surrounding landscape will still be eerily visible.

"It will be a huge technical challenge. But we will be trying to communicate an understanding of the Wall and raise its profile as a wonderful world heritage site," said Linda.

"A lot of people are still not clear enough about the sheer scale of the site and the line of lights will reinforce the extent of the Roman frontier in northern England.

"When you visit certain places on Hadrian's Wall it feels like you are on the top of the world and we want to give an impression of this power of landscape.

"We hope the memory of this event will continue for a very long time and encourage more people to visit the Wall for themselves."

It is planned to involve local communities and work with artists to devise ways of enhancing the lighting effect.

The venture will also involve the Lakes Alive programme in Cumbria presented by Kendal Arts International and Manchester International Arts. Stella Hall, creative director of culture10 said, "We are delighted to celebrate the lighting of Hadrian's Wall, and hope audiences will join us at events to share in this once in a lifetime experience.

"This festival of landscape and light is a highlight in our Landscape and Heritage programme for 2009/10, and is the culmination of months of hard work by all our partners, participants and the talented artists who have contributed to the shaping of the events."

"We would like to thank our Cumbrian partners from Lakes Alive who have enabled us to cross the Wall's invisible boundaries between North East and North West, linking audiences and allowing the line of light vision to be fulfilled."

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