Friday, 14 Feb 2014 16:22 GMT

Lighting up the Liver Birds

We are quite sure that Dawn and Beryl would have approved if the BBC Liver Bird series was still running.

For Zeta Specialist Lighting of Bicester has won two contracts to light up Liverpool, including Liverpool One and the Pier Head on the waterfront, where stands the Liver Building with its avian guardians looking down on the Mersey. The contracts were won in partnership with The IS Group, a UK signage manufacturer specialising in customised signage solutions.

The firm will use LED solar powered lighting for a wayfinding system at The Pier Head, a significant aspect of the World Heritage Site that brings together the Three Graces of The Royal Liver Building, The Cunard Building, and Port of Liverpool building.

The ability to illuminate the signs was a key criteria on both projects, but the cost and time associated with laying the cabling required for traditional lighting was, in both cases, prohibitive

Adrian Dennis of Zeta says: “The ability to illuminate the signs was a key criteria on both projects, but the cost and time associated with laying the cabling required for traditional lighting was, in both cases, prohibitive. At The Pier Head for example, the bill would have run into a six figure sum.”

Jamie Trippier of IS Group says: “By specifying Zeta’s solar powered LED lighting in both cases, we were able to deliver exactly what the clients wanted, much faster and at a significantly reduced cost. The solution will also deliver ongoing cost savings for both clients as there are no additional energy bills to pay. Plus, we also delivered on an eco-saving front; the overall environmental impact of a solar powered scheme is much lower than one which utilises electricity.”

Just for the record, for those with long memories it was Pauline Collins who played Dawn and Polly James was Beryl Hennessey in the original sitcom, with Nerys Hughes as Sandra Hutchinson in the second series.