Thames Water turn Tilehurst tower blue for the NHS

Landmark lit up for #clapforcarers

Tilehurst Water Tower was lit up in blue between 7pm and 10pm last night (April 30) to celebrate the work of NHS staff and frontline care workers.

Thames Water teamed up with illumination expert APS UK to turn the tower blue, following successful teamwork in turning it red for Remembrance weekend in 2018 and 2019.

Tower manager Stuart Hamblin said: "As key workers ourselves, it's important to us to show our support for everyone working to keep the country running and us all safe and well during this very challenging time.

"We've had really positive feedback on the two previous occasions the tower has been lit so we hope the photos, which will no doubt be shared on social media, will help keep spirits up and show our fellow key workers how much they’re appreciated.

"We couldn’t do it without our friends at APS so a huge thank you to Richard Alexander and the team for providing the lights free of charge."

Organisers plan to light up the water tower every Thursday night from now.

However, Mr Hamblin advises strongly against visiting Tilehurst just to view the show, warning that this may force Thames Water to reconsider.

He said: "We hope to make the lighting of the tower a weekly occurrence during lockdown but ask that people don't visit the site to take photos and instead follow advice to stay at home.

"We've got lots of photos on our own social media feeds which everyone can see and share so there's really no need for anybody to go out and take their own."

Thames Water tweeted a video of the 'blue tower' and said: "This evening we have turned our #TilehurstTower blue in support of the incredible work our #NHS staff and other key workers are doing."