Darker skies restored over Lymm High School
Before
After
The installation of new improved floodlighting has restored darker skies in the Lymm area, as part of the recent Leisure Centre improvements at Lymm High School.
Its former out-dated floodlighting scheme, with lamps that created a significant amount of light spillage, had caused excessive light pollution in the local area for many years and could be seen from miles around. So much so that one local resident, keen astronomer and member of the Low Carbon Lymm group, had started a personal campaign in 2007 to see if improvements could be made. She had seen the problem progressively worsen over the years as the evening usage of the pitch increased with the Leisure Centre needs.
With school funding obtained for the construction of the new pitch, it took the involvement of Warrington Environmental Health to give one last push to ensure the lighting would be improved at the same time. The final installation of the double asymmetric horizontal cut-off lamps resulted in the lighting directed onto the pitch while the dark sky quality overhead was greatly improved. Local resident, Chris Reeves said ‘‘I am very grateful that Lymm High School obtained funding for the new lighting and delighted with the reduction in light spillage – an excellent result for the Campaign for Dark Skies. Well done!’’
The difference has been clear for all to see with the project receiving coverage on BBC TV, North West Tonight regional news last month. The new floodlighting solution has been good for the school, the students, the sporting community, the local environment, local residents and, of course, good for local astronomers too. Everyone has gained.
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