A computer-generated picture of how the event should look

Organisers of an ambitious project to illuminate Hadrian’s Wall are on the lookout for keen lovers of the outdoors who will help light 500 torches along the route of the wall.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall plans to set off a series of beacons along the National Trail that follows the Roman wall that runs the width of northern England. The project is part of the run up to the UK’s hosting of the Olympics and will take place in March.

For the event to be successful, organisers are seeking volunteer ‘illuminators’ who will ideally be outdoor types – they may be in an exposed position in potentially adverse weather for nine hours on the day.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall will be staged on 13 March and the volunteer illuminators will have to be in position from 11am on the day to allow training. The lighting of the beacon relay will begin at dusk, starting at Segedunum, Wallsend, on the Tyne, and will span the 135km- (84-mile) long Roman wall, as far as the Solway Firth in Cumbria.

Organisers say the ideal illuminator will be a lover of the outdoors, and be prepared to be outdoors for a number of hours in potentially adverse weather conditions. Illuminators will be required to come equipped in suitable outdoor clothing and sturdy shoes. “A torch would also be useful,” they say. All other equipment will be provided. For the less physically able, there is a limited number of less demanding posts in Newcastle and Carlisle.

The points of light will be at 250m intervals along the wall and each ‘cell’ responsible for lighting the beacon will have a team consisting of one trained production lead, three ‘professional’ volunteers and about eight illuminators.

Each of the illuminators will be responsible for lighting one of the 500 points of light that will be placed along the route of the trail, from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway. The light source will be a combination of bottled gas braziers and flares.

Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall is a joint venture between culture10 in the North-East of England and the Lakes Alive programme in Cumbria.

Linda Tuttiett, the Chief Executive of Hadrian’s Wall Heritage, said: “In partnership with local people, we wanted to do something really quite extraordinary to bring to life Britain’s longest and greatest piece of heritage and celebrate the landscape of Hadrian’s Wall Country.

“What could be more spectacular than a line of light that will stretch from coast to coast illuminating this stunning World Heritage Site?”

To sign up as a volunteer and for more details of the event, visit the Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall website.