Sophie Ellis-Bextor Is 'Star' Of Earth Hour

Chiswick singer will sparkle with candlelit performance as lights go out

Top star Sophie Ellis-Bextor has thrown herself into saving the environment as the countdown to Earth Hour begins for Saturday. (March 29)

The Chiswick singer will unveil a huge light-switch in the morning at 9.30am on London’s Southbank to launch the countdown to the evening switch-off. Later that night she will perform by candlelight at the Southbank centre.

Her Earthwatch performance, which aims to promote saving the environment by cutting down on energy demands, will be streamed globally. The event, to promote sustainable living, is organised by the WWF, the World Wildlife Fund.

In the UK over 10 million people are expected to take part, celebrating with candlelit dinners, stargazing and enjoying torch lit walks under atmospheric night skies.

UK landmarks including Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, The London Eye, the iconic Piccadilly Lights, Edinburgh Castle, Brighton Pier, Durham Cathedral and Windsor Castle will all switch off their lights for Earth Hour.

Celebrities such as Amanda Holden Jack Whitehall, Stephen Fry, Eliza Doolittle and Dougie Poynter are all supporting this year’s Earth Hour. Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who last year delivered a message directly from the International Space Station, made a plea this year to help build a better future for the planet.

Shareen Brown, Earth Hour Manager at WWF-UK said: “The countdown has well and truly begun as millions of people prepare to join the Earth Hour celebrations. From Samoa to Tahiti - and everywhere in between - it’s really inspiring to see that so many people want to take action to protect our beautiful planet. And what’s really exciting is the impact that this is having.

"Last year 10 million people took part in the UK and 82% of those that signed up said they felt inspired to go on to live more sustainably beyond the hour. Globally we also saw the world’s first Earth Hour forest created in Uganda and more than 100,000 people supported a petition on forest legislation in Russia. We hope that Earth Hour 2014 inspires more people than ever to do their bit for the planet.”

WWF’s Earth Hour will begin in Samoa and sweep around the planet via major cities of the world - including Bangkok, Chicago, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, London, Manila, Mexico City, New York City, Paris, Singapore, Sydney and Toronto – before ending in Tahiti.

First launched in Australia in 2007, Earth Hour has grown to become the world’s biggest environmental event. Last year over 7,000 towns and cities across 154 countries took part.

March 27, 2014