Dark Sky Awards To Northumberland And Inner Hebrides

Congratulations are due to the Isle of Coll in the Inner Hebrides and also to the Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water and Forest Park, which are celebrating the receipt of the prestigious Dark Sky Award. The result of the award means that the night sky in both areas is protected and lighting controls are in place to prevent light pollution. They join an illustrious list that also includes Sark Island, Exmoor Reserve and the Brecon Beacons.

The award is made by the The International Dark Skies Association (IDA) which is based in Tucson, Arizona. In the case of Northumberland the award was a gold status, being the highest available, and the area is to be renamed the Northumberland Dark Sky Park in celebration.

There are advantages to being left in the dark

As far as Northumberland was concerned, the two-year campaign to protect the 579 square mile (1,500 sq km) area was jointly led by Northumberland National Park Authority, Kielder Water and Forest Park Development Trust and Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society.

Steve Owens, dark skies consultant and chair of the IDA's development committee, said: "The quality of Northumberland's night sky, and the huge efforts made by local communities to preserve them, make Northumberland Dark Sky Park a gold tier site, and one of the best places to stargaze in Europe."

Elisabeth Rowark, director of the park's trust, said: "We have worked so hard together to reach this tremendous day for everyone committed to securing protection for England's largest area of starry skies. We do not want to turn off the lights, but rather encourage better lighting using the latest technology. This is the start of a new chapter for Northumberland where quite literally the sky is the limit."

Coll Dark Skies Group member and local stargazer Tony Oliver said: "The first winter on Coll I was in awe of the night sky, it's on a par with many of the high arctic regions I'd visited. Soon I discovered Coll had some real stargazers which eventually led, over many pints, to where we are today.  Now we have the opportunity to share our darkness with others and I hope anyone visiting Coll off-season will be equally inspired."

The award is the result of years of work from the Coll Dark Skies Group, which has taken measurements of the darkness, carried out an audit of all outside lights on the island and adjusted or refitted lights that had spoiled the view for stargazers.

The island has a bit of a head start as it has no street lighting and is relatively free of light pollution that can be found in developed urban areas. The 200 islanders, together with their counterparts in Northumberland, will now be hoping that the prestigious will lead to a surge in winter tourism.
Galloway Forest Park has seen a rise in off-season tourism since it was recognised in November 2009.

                                                      International Dark Skies Association