The village of Hawnby has become North York Moors’ first ‘dark sky friendly’ village, with residents seeing benefits from reducing light pollution.
Hawnby, a small North Yorkshire village with a population of 193, under the stewardship of Mexborough Estates, has banded together to become the inaugural dark-sky friendly village in the North York Moors National Park.
Unlike other communities like Powys in Wales, which recently became the nation’s first dark-sky community, Hawnby’s transformation has extended to modifying over 100 external lights on 30 buildings, including the community hall and the Owl Inn. Sometimes the change was as simple as switching to warm white lightbulbs or repositioning lights. Local resident Tom Storrar feels these changes also enhance safety by focusing light downward on necessary areas rather than creating a blinding effect. To qualify as dark-sky friendly, a minimum of 60% of the village’s external lighting had to meet the National Park’s criteria, and the village committed to hosting stargazing events annually. Currently, only 5% of UK residents can experience a truly dark sky full of stars.
Architect Paul Smith, a Hawnby resident, recalls how the village used to stand out brightly against the night sky when approached from Helmsley, a problem that is now resolved. More owls have been seen and heard near his home, which he suggests indicates they feel safe flying closer to the village.
Mike Hawtin, the Park’s Dark Skies lead officer, encourages people to visit Hawnby to witness the benefits of strategic lighting first hand. He points out that many communities, particularly those with few streetlights, could likely earn dark-sky status. The National Park hopes to motivate more local councils and residents to improve lighting schemes by acknowledging entire community efforts within their program.
