More communities in the Howardian Hills National Landscape are being invited to take part in a ground-breaking project to preserve the area’s starry skies.
Earlier this year four villages were awarded Dark Sky Friendly Community status under a UK-first scheme run by the Howardian Hills National Landscape and the North York Moors National Park. Bulmer, Terrington, Crayke and Coxwold all earned the marque for their efforts to combat bad lighting, protect nocturnal wildlife and promote the magic of the night-sky. A special awards ceremony was held to present each community with their coveted dark sky friendly plaque by Councillor George Jabbour, Chair of the Howardian Hills Partnership.
Ellie Hook, Manager of the Howardian Hills National Landscape, explained:
“It was clear from working with local people how much they value their night sky. As part of the scheme, we were able to support projects to convert poor lights into more effective dark sky friendly ones, which shine down with a warmer light and provide better illumination. Now we’d like to work with more villages to take the same path. It’s worth noting that aside from diminishing the beauty of a starry sky, bad lighting can have a serious impact on wildlife, including bats, moths and even hedgehogs.”
Under the scheme each village completed a lighting audit of existing external lights, along with a demonstration project to enhance their dark skies.
Ampleforth Abbey was also granted dark sky status after the North York Moors National Park funded an ambitious scheme to upgrade nearly 100 lights to a dark sky standard.
Although the Howardian Hills has retained its view of the heavens, one study suggests the night sky across the UK is brightening at the rate of 8% per year.
If your village is interested in earning the dark sky marque, or you would like to find out more about dark sky friendly lighting and grants available, contact [email protected]
Photo – from right to left: Councillor George Jabbour, Chair of the Howardian Hills Partnership, Ellie Hook, Manager of the Howardian Hills National Landscape, along with Tony Wood, Bulmer Parish Council, Bill Winning, Terrington Parish Council, Colin Merritt, Crayke Parish Council, and Simon Le Gassicke, Coxwold Parish Council.