A couple from Blackpool decided to find out what the gender of their baby would be - by arranging to light up the tower in either pink or blue light.
Nick Easton and Ambereigh Duckworth had a 20-week scan done at a private clinic in March, but asked the staff not to tell them the gender of their baby and, instead, put the information into a sealed envelope.
They then contacted Blackpool Council, which manages the tower lighting, and paid for the lights to be re-programmed in either pink or blue.
They then handed over the sealed envelope to a member of the tower lighting team and set a date for the big reveal.
As they gathered on the Promenade, the lights turned pink and the delighted couple were at last able to find out the gender of their baby, due to be born on August 10, along with the announcement of their baby’s name, Harperleigh Jade Easton, running through the Tower heart.
Whilst illuminations on the tower have been used many times to commemorate and celebrate events, it is the first time it has been used for such an occasion, becoming the UK’s biggest gender reveal to date.
Amberleigh, a senior residential care worker in a children’s home, said: “With everything that has happened over the past year with Covid-19, we wanted to do something very special that our family and friends could look forward to.
“We both knew The Blackpool Tower celebrated occasions such as Valentine’s Day and St Patrick’s Day and wondered if it would even be possible for it to celebrate our event too.
When the information was put in a sealed envelope about the baby's gender she said: "It was a very hard, but exciting, car journey home, knowing what was in the envelope and knowing we were about to just hand it over to someone else to find out before us."
Nick, an inspection engineer in the theme park industry, added: “Obviously, with the restrictions on numbers allowed to gather, we wanted to wait until we could have as many people as possible to celebrate the event with us, even if this meant us waiting an extra eight and a half weeks to find out.
“But when the lights went on it was well worth that wait!”
Paul Burnett from Blackpool Council, who organised the lighting programme on behalf of the couple, said: “It was pretty nerve-wracking knowing that I was party to such precious information, but it was a pleasure to be able to light up The Blackpool Tower for such a unique celebration."
