Castle Hill’s iconic Victoria Tower turned red on Saturday night – to mark World TB Day.
As part of a worldwide event the tower was illuminated in red light as part of the ‘Light up the World in Red to End TB’ campaign.
More than 20 major cities around the world joined in to highlight tuberculosis, a disease that kills more than a million people worldwide every year.
Huddersfield people were puzzled at why Castle Hill turned red with some even suggesting it was a timely reminder of the clocks going forward!
TB occurs when a bacterial infection is spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. It mainly affects the lungs but it can affect any part of the body, including the stomach, glands, bones and nervous system.
So each year, on March 24, the world marks World TB Day. The disease remains the world’s leading infectious killer, being responsible for the deaths of nearly 1.7 million people each year and is the ninth leading cause of death globally.
The day is intended to mobilise political and social commitment for further progress towards eliminating TB.
Kirklees councillor Andrew Cooper was pleased to see Huddersfield taking part and said: “I think it’s great that every now and again we light up this iconic tower.”
Buildings bathed in red included: Paris City Hall; Madrid’s Oviedo theatre, the famous Four Season’s Hotel in Geneva; the CN Tower in Toronto; and, closer to home, Leeds Town Hall.
