These are still in active use on Blueprint's various projects today, together with their stock of around 100 Core fixtures which include Point20s and Flood30s, all of which have proved a sound investment.
Having spotted a gap at the very start of the now-popular trend for wireless up-lighting of buildings, rooms, gardens, trees and foliage, monuments and just about any other space and object that might require illumination for a special moment or event, Blueprint's Chris Morgan comments, "In the last two years - and especially as the products have become even lighter and brighter - the benefits of wireless technology have opened up a whole new level of potential applications."
His initial decision to invest in Core was because it was new and different at the time and also because, "These are the brightest units currently on the market, extremely light, robust with great aesthetics and very reliable".
Having the Core fixtures on-board has enabled Blueprint to quickly and effectively light and colour many environments which would have been impossible had cables and electricity been involved.
Blueprint recently used large numbers of its Core stock in this context to illuminate the main six 'Pit Stops' on Cancer Research UK's 2014 London Shine Night Walk.
The Shine Night Walk offers men, women and children over 13 the chance to walk a full or half marathon lighting up London by wearing bright colours, carrying lights and glow sticks to raise money for research into over 200 cancers.
The 2014 London Shine Night Walk started at Southwark Park about a mile from Tower Bridge and followed a route around London, passing landmarks like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the London Eye, before finishing right in the heart of the City, at Old Billingsgate.
Blueprint has worked on the event for the last five years, and this year again used a mix of their colour changing Core Point20s, Point30s and the white Core Flood30s.
Up to 16 units were deployed for each area. The newest products can maintain excellent brightness levels for up to 14 hours.
Using Core technology on an event like the Shine Night Walk enabled large - and challenging to light - areas to be quickly and efficiently illuminated . . . needing minimal crew. As this was a fundraiser, all elements that could contribute to reducing running costs were a big advantage.
An additional 'green' bonus was that they were all charged before the event via the solar panels on the roof of Blueprint's warehouse in Bristol.
Blueprint also provided lighting for the 2014 March On Cancer, another prestigious event that saw thousands of people marching through 15 cities all over the UK, and has illuminated several other events for CRUK using Core fixtures, including one lighting Bristol's most famous ship, the SS Great Britain.
Cancer Research UK's equipment & suppliers manager Nick Wright comments, "The Core lights are a brilliant innovation and we use them at many Cancer Research UK events as they provide numerous decorative lighting options as well being highly functional. As the units are lightweight and battery powered, we can very cost-efficiently get light in and around city centres and parks, all adding great value and impact to our events."
(Jim Evans)
