‘Light the Way’ is a unique project that local company Astro Lighting have been working on alongside second year Art & Design students at Harlow College.

The Harlow-based company, who specialise in clean, modern design, gave students the brief to decorate their new plaster-based Eclipse lights, using the theme of ‘home’. These pieces would then be shortlisted to ten by Astro co-founders John Fearon and James Bassant, before being displayed and auctioned, with money raised going to local charity Streets2Homes.

Communications Executive for Astro, Rachel Bartlett, said: ‘We really wanted to start supporting the local community. We thought it would be a fantastic idea to run an event and work with various parts of the Harlow community like Harlow College, the arts community and a charity.

‘We spoke to the Gibberd Gallery about hosting the event and they suggested that Harlow College and their talented art students would be excellent to work with.’

Art & Design student Adina Maria Frunza about the subject of ‘home’: ‘So many teenagers experience homelessness. Some of these young adults are my age and knowing that I can help somehow by raising money through the auction of our work makes me feel amazing inside! I’m really proud of myself for this.’

The winner, Holly Allison, was rewarded for her technical abilities and composition of work, which depicted a cat curled up asleep. She said: ‘I took inspiration from the idea that cats only sleep the way they do in my painting when they're fully relaxed. I really wanted to convey that idea of comfort associated with being at home.

‘The idea that this was a charity event for helping homeless people made me twice as motivated to add as much detail as possible in the time I was given.’

James Bassant, Design director and co-founder at ASTRO lighting said: ‘Students are working at a high standard and are learning how to use plaster as a new material. It’s good to get their feedback on it being quite a different material to work on. Some of the stories behind their designs are really moving.

‘I think the students have really embraced the brief. I was amazed, when we were judging them the thought and the care they put into the brief and conveying that into a single image is amazing.’