More Kendal residents, inspired by the growing awareness of the impacts of light pollution, have replaced their outdoor lighting with dark skies friendly lighting.

As the before (left) and after (right, below) pictures show, the dark skies light is warmer and casts downwards where its needed, to prevent light pollution upwards. The lights also feature a motion sensor and connect to an app to enable time control to save electricity costs.

Friends of the Lake District advised several residents in Belmont Brow on Fellside, Kendal, who have installed outside lights supplied by Light Library, to help reduce light pollution, protect wildlife and save energy costs.

The lights are a simple elegant design by lighting manufacturer Lombardo, fitted with a Nordlux energy efficient LED bulb. The lights connect to a phone app to control when the light comes on, its level of intensity and even the colour temperature of the light.

Motion sensors have also been installed so that the light doesn’t stay on when not needed, saving even more electricity.

Belmont Brow resident, Julie Sharpe, says: “I really liked the low glare ‘warmer’ appearance of the lights above us along Cliff Terrace. When Jack Ellerby, Friends of the Lake District’s Dark Skies Officer, explained that the less harsh colour is also friendly for wildlife, I’m all for that. We get bats, hedgehogs and moths around our houses and gardens at night, and it’s nice to think of their needs.”

Kendal and Oxenholme is one of the Dark Skies Cumbria Project pilot communities aiming to reduce light pollution across the town. 

Kendal Town Council is a Dark Skies Cumbria Project Supporter, and featured these examples in their Spring 2023 Newsletter delivered to all residents. The work has already inspired other residents to change their existing outside lights to more dark skies friendly ones.

Friends of the Lake District has also installed the same light above the front entrance of their offices at the Murley Moss Business Park in Oxenholme. The path along the front of the building has high footfall from employees across the business park and the new light helps people feel safer and see hazards like nearby steps.

For more details on these lights, and your wider lighting needs, contact Mike Monaghan at Light Library: Innovative lighting design | Light Library | Penrith, tel. 07733 055569.