16 Feb 2026
Northumberland Coast National Landscape
Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, a new project that aims to protect and conserve the dark skies of the Northumberland coast is now underway.
“Northumberland Coast Dark Skies” will tackle light pollution and conserve nocturnal wildlife. Theia Batchelor joins the Northumberland Coast National Landscape team this week to head up the project.
Whilst much of the Northumberland Coast is intrinsically dark because of the impact of the North Sea, levels of artificial light are steadily growing, eroding the dark skies and nocturnal tranquillity that can be experienced in this part of rural Northumberland.
Northumberland Coast National Landscape Partnership Chair, Patrick Norris, said: “Dark skies and the tranquillity found on the coast are part of what makes the Northumberland Coast National Landscape special. This project will ensure that we don’t lose our stars to light pollution and that night-time tranquillity can be experienced for generations to come.”
“We are delighted to receive a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund that will help us make a difference in caring for the landscape at night. Over the next 18 months, we will work with parish councils, Northumberland County Council Streetlighting, rural and tourism businesses, Farming in Protected Landscapes and Space for Shorebirds wildlife rangers to name but a few.”
The project includes a series of case studies for the lighting of buildings and places in the National Landscape and installing ‘dark sky friendly’ lighting schemes here. Vision Illumination – a lighting engineering and manufacturing company based in Gateshead – have been appointed to specify the new lighting schemes.
Neill Richardson, Founder and CEO of Vision Illumination said: “We’re excited to support the Northumberland Coast National Landscape team with this project. Having delivered specialised dark sky lighting projects as far afield as the Caribbean and Ascension Island, it is incredibly rewarding to bring that global expertise back home to the North East. Our focus is on upgrading and retrofitting infrastructure to ensure schemes are fit for purpose—delivering the right light, in the right place, only when it’s needed.”
The first case study is looking at farm lighting that is often overly bright for the needs of the farmer. Neill added: “Retrofitting dark sky friendly lighting in these farms will bring benefits for the farmer – both in terms of a reduced electricity bill but also maintaining farm security, improving animal welfare and supporting nocturnal wildlife and habitats. It's a win-win situation.”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Looking up and clearly seeing the stars and other wonders of the night sky can be a magical experience, and we are thrilled to award a grant of £227,247 to protect the dark skies of the Northumberland Coast. Thanks to National Lottery players, we can support the National Landscape to allow people to reconnect with this special night time heritage and conserve it for future generations.”
