We welcomed a new addition to our travel shop this week!

We welcomed a new addition to our travel shop this week - our very own lighthouse from the Light the South art trail!

The spectacular free art trail, which took place across the city between July and September, featured 40 lighthouses, each standing 8ft tall, crafted by a selection of top local and renowned artists to form unique masterpieces. In addition to the main trail, there were 40 smaller sculptures called Little Lights, designed by local schools and community groups, creating a family-friendly trail of discovery and adventure for both visitors and residents to explore and enjoy.

We signed up to the initiative by sponsoring one of the lighthouses earlier on in the year. Then to mark the end of the event, we joined others at a special grand farewell finale where each of the sculptures was auctioned off with the proceeds donated to Southampton Hospitals Charity in support of Southampton Children's Hospital.

"We were delighted to bid £4,000 to take ownership of our lighthouse - and it has now taken pride of place in our travel shop," said our operations manager Chrysie Papanicolaou.

"As an established part of the local community, providing bus services across the city, we were pleased to be supporting this important initiative - with Southampton Hospitals Charity being a cause very close to our hearts."

Ellis Banfield, Southampton Hospitals Charity chief executive, added: "I'd like to extend a huge thank you to Bluestar for their generous winning bid at the Light the South auction. By securing one of our beautiful lighthouse sculptures, they're not only taking home a unique piece of art, but also making a real difference to our young patients at Southampton Children's Hospital. We've been so fortunate to have Bluestar involved throughout the trail, helping to bring our communities together and showing how local businesses can unite to support a great cause."