Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip: Light to be dedicated to royals

The Princess Royal will visit a hospice later to see a 'firefly' light due to be dedicated to the late Queen and Prince Philip.

Thousands of glowing firefly lights have been installed in the grounds of Dorothy House Hospice in Wiltshire.

The installation of 20,000 lights was created by local artist Bruce Munro to raise funds for the charity.

Each light strand, crafted out of fibre optics, can be sponsored for a year in memory of a loved one.

In total, there are now 800 fireflies, which are each made up of 24 lights.

Princess Anne is due to take a guided tour around the Winsley gardens and Day Patient Unit at the hospice where she will meet with patients, families, volunteers and staff.

She will then officially open the newly expanded Firefly Woods and accept a firefly point of light in memory of her late mother and father.

The light installation was inspired by the Rudyard Kipling book 'Kim' that the Mr Munro read as a child.

"It was inspired by the old llama in the book, who discovers the river Arrow, which is the stream of enlightenment," Mr Munro explained.

"I just love that image, this bubbling spring out of the ground and I think I'd always been trying to visualize it.

"So many years later I did an installation called Arrow Spring, of which the Firefly was this element of light."

The hospice said the installation has become a deeply valued space for those who visit Dorothy House, giving them time to pause and remember their loved ones.

The fireflies installation was originally installed in 2021 by Mr Munro and will now be opened up to the wider community.

The hospice have teamed up with Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to improve access from the nearby canal so that more people can visit the lights.

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