Stunning moonscape and the Milky Way pictured at Ravenscar in the North York Moors Picture: STEVE BELL A POPULAR annual festival that brings the wonders of the night sky to life is going virtual this year. The Dark Skies Festival normally runs a series of events throughout Yorkshire Dales and Moors National Parks aimed at educating and inspiring people to take more of an interest in the night sky. With lockdown hampering people’s ability to travel for the popular annual festival, the National Parks, which were both awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status in December, have turned to the power of webinars and zoom meet-ups for a virtual event.
THE wonders of the night sky will be brought into the nation’s living rooms during this half term (February 12-28). It s all courtesy of a virtual Dark Skies Festival programme created by the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks together with Go Stargazing. With lockdown hampering people’s ability to travel to Yorkshire for the popular annual Festival, the National Parks, which were both awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status in December, have turned to the power of webinars and zoom meet-ups for a virtual event. The programme will be a mix of free and paid-for events.
The trust has been awarded the funds for their project entitled, North York Moors Woodland Restoration Team. The work will seek to conserve and enhance 193ha of woodland, including ancient woodland, and create four new full-time jobs, including traineeships aimed at 16 to 24 year olds. The trust is a registered charity that works closely with the North York Moors National Park Authority and other organisations to secure the future of the North York Moors. The majority of its income is generated from supporters and the public through donations and legacies. Mr Hollinrake, MP for Thirsk and Malton, said: “The trust does fantastic work to help conserve our threatened and vulnerable plants and wildlife as well as protecting our landscape and heritage.
The Royal Mail has revealed its first special stamps issue of 2021 which celebrates the 70th anniversary of the founding of Britain s first National Parks.
The stamps include images of some of the UK s most popular and visited landscapes, featuring the Peak District, the Lake District, Snowdonia, Dartmoor, North York Moors, The Broads, New Forest, South Downs, Pembrokeshire Coast and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.
The collection covers a range of natural environments, from cold tundra to temperate rainforest, from gigantic sea cliffs to rolling chalk hills, from razor-sharp mountains to marshy wetlands.
The new series of special stamps from the Royal Mail feature popular beauty spots from around the UK, including the South Downs (pictured)