HOLIDAYMAKERS staying at a South Lakeland caravan park will be invited to turn off their lights and enjoy one of England's biggest star attractions.

Skelwith Fold Caravan Park, Ambleside, will host six voluntary switch-off nights this spring and summer when guests will have an opportunity to view more than 7,000 stars including the Milky Way and far-off galaxies which few people will have glimpsed before.

The events are part of the park’s support for the British Astronomical Association's Campaign for Dark Skies, which aims to preserve and restore the beauty of the night sky by campaigning against excessive, inefficient and irresponsible lighting that shines where it is not wanted nor needed.

Henry Wild, owner of the 130-acre park, which has been praised by The Prince of Wales for its success in re-introducing red squirrels, said he hoped to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution.

“Owls and other night-hunting birds are threatened because light pollution reduces their number of feeding habitats and bats are also affected as the light draws insects away from where they feed,” he said.

“Under light polluted skies birds often chirp through the night, which prevents them from resting properly and can disrupt their breeding patterns.

“By contrast, nights at Skelwith are completely quiet and our dawn chorus begins much earlier because birds don't have to wait until the sun has overpowered the light pollution.”

The Lake District has been identified as one of Britain's best dark-sky areas for star watching and Mr Wild said that Skelwith Fold’s location above nearby villages and with its surrounding forest, clear nights can be ‘breathtakingly beautiful’.

Switch-offs will be advised on the morning depending on the forecasts.