The community event, a highlight of the local cultural calendar, is now in its 11^th year. Taking place on Saturday 4^thFebruary, this year’s festivities saw a multitude of illuminated handmade lanterns light up the streets of south Bristol.

Commenting on the event, Chair of the parade project group, Ade Williams, said: "It is a marvellous display of energy, sound and light flooding through the streets of Bedminster."

With the route of the parade passing close to the site of Dandara Living’s new 316-unit Stafford Yard development, employees were keen to show their support for this iconic event, as Senior Development Manager Zoe Sharpe explains:

“The Bedminster Winter Lantern Parade is one of the main highlights of Bristol’s cultural calendar, celebrating and supporting the community of Bedminster. Many local businesses and primary schools take part and thousands of people come out to show their support, however as a non-profit project, the Parade relies on corporate sponsorships and donations from the public. Dandara Living was eager to lend its support, but we wanted to go a step further than just corporate sponsorship.”

Zoe, along with colleagues Senior Site Manager Sebastian Minskip and Regional Construction Director David Merrills, spent many weekends and evenings designing and constructing a lantern for the parade in the three months leading up to the event.

Zoe continues: “Bristol is well-known for Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge and Banksy’s street art, but is also where all ten of the British Airways Concordes were constructed, so we decided to create a scale replica Concorde lantern as a way to represent the city’s spirit of creativity and ingenuity.”

The parade started around 17:00 GMT and lasted about an hour and a half with live music and street entertainment held along the parade route.