A ceremony for people of all faiths and churches will take place in Arbroath on Sunday in memory of those who died during the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
At 4pm in the courtyard of the Signal Tower Museum, the congregations of all the Arbroath churches will join together at The Light of the World Service.
Throughout 2011, the people of Arbroath have been celebrating the bicentenary of the Bell Rock Lighthouse with the Year of the Light, a programme of special events organised by residents, communities, organisations and businesses.
The Light of the World Service is the latest of these and the Rev John Cuthbert of St Mary’s Episcopal Church said the service is in memory of those who lost their lives on the Bell Rock prior to and during the construction of the lighthouse, which was completed by Robert Stevenson and his men in 1811.
According to the website www.bellrock.org.uk, five men died during the construction.
“We felt it was only fitting to celebrate the bicentenary of this iconic lighthouse which has been saving lives for 200 years with a ceremony for people of all faiths and churches,” said Mr Cuthbert.
“The theme of The Light of the World Service will be the Bell Rock, its lighthouse and the sea that surrounds it and has played such an important part in the story of Arbroath and its people over the years.
“During the service, there will be a wonderfully appropriate selection of music, hymns and readings, including, thanks to the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses, Robert Stevenson’s prayer for the men who were working alongside him on the Bell Rock Lighthouse.
“Stevenson, who was a religious man, wrote this prayer on the front page of his Bible and repeated it every morning during the construction of the Bell Rock Lighthouse. Perhaps this prayer is one of the reasons so few men were lost while the lighthouse was being built, despite it being located in the middle of the North Sea, on a deadly reef covered by the tide twice a day.”
The service is open to all visitors. In the event of bad weather, the service will be held at St Mary’s Episcopal Church in Springfield Terrace.
For more details visit www.angusahead.com/bellrocklighthouse.