WHO WE ARE

Dark Sky UK is the UK chapter of the International Dark-Sky Association, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the night sky. We promote solutions that let people enjoy star-filled skies while benefiting from responsible outdoor lighting.

Since 1988, the IDA has worked globally to safeguard dark skies through parks, reserves, and communities. Formed in 2021, the UK chapter continues this mission locally, led by a volunteer board of directors bringing expertise and passion to every initiative.

Light pollution is increasing worldwide faster than population growth. Eight out of ten people now live under a sky too bright to see the Milky Way, outdoor lighting wastes billions each year, and wildlife, human health, and the planet are all affected.

Our mission is guided by values of passion, credibility, consensus, inclusion, and nonpolitical advocacy, and focused on four strategic priorities:

  • Celebrate the Night: Raise awareness of the benefits of darkness and inspire action.

  • Dark Sky Protection: Safeguard exemplary dark skies through parks, reserves, and certification.

  • Lighting Where We Live: Engage communities in responsible, sensible outdoor lighting.

  • Night Sky Restoration: Coordinate actions to slow, halt, and reverse light pollution.

Together, we work to ensure everyone can experience the wonder, health, and ecological benefits of a dark, star-filled night.

Meet The Team

We are deeply grateful to everyone who supports our work, and especially to our leadership team and volunteers, who generously give their time and expertise for free. Their dedication makes protecting the night sky possible.

Roy Alexander MAEd, BSc, FRAS

Roy is the Chair of the Board of Directors for Dark Sky UK and has over 20 years of experience as a physics teacher. He manages public astronomy events across the UK through AstroVentures CIC and has designed and consulted on observatories and astro-tourism projects worldwide, including Battlesteads Observatory. Passionate about education, astronomy, and the night sky, Roy focuses on reducing the environmental impact of light pollution in urban areas while improving access to dark skies for marginalised families and children. His work combines education, environmental stewardship, and social justice to inspire and protect our night skies.

Amy Rennie

Amy Rennie is the UK Head of Lighting at Buro Happold, where she leads with a strong commitment to sustainable and environmentally conscious design for outdoor spaces. Her work is guided by a deep passion for celebrating dark skies, reducing light pollution and ensuring that people can reconnect with nature in all exterior settings. Amy’s core philosophy centres on the vital role humankind plays in maintaining the delicate balance between the built and natural worlds. She actively promotes education and awareness around the ecological and human impacts of artificial light, advocating for the conservation of biodiversity and the safeguarding of our nocturnal ecosystems. Her ultimate goal is to deliver holistic lighting solutions that respect and enhance the experience for all – humanity, flora, and fauna while preserving the integrity of our planet’s last pristine skies.

Prof Nick Dunn, Director

Nick is Professor of Urban Design and Executive Director of Imagination, the design and architecture research lab at Lancaster University. He is the founding Director of the Dark Design Lab, exploring the impacts of nocturnal activity on humans and non-humans, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of urban places at night. Nick works across academia and multiple design professions to promote positive engagements with darkness, increase public understanding of key issues, and improve access to the dark sky for the benefit of future generations of humans and non-humans, and the planet we share. Nick’s focus in the DarkSky UK chapter is on developing a more sustainable relationship between the built environment and the night, as well as exploring ways to promote wider and inclusive participation with dark skies.

Dan Oakley

Dan is the Dark Skies Officer at the South Downs National Park Authority and International Dark Sky Reserve. He was responsible for creating and submitting the South Downs application to the DarkSky and continues to manages the National Parks delivery of dark skies.  Dan uses his position to promote DarkSky messages, light pollution and astronomical opportunities to the residents and visitors of the South Downs.  Originally a Physicist with an interest in astrophysics, Dan has further degrees in Wildlife Management, and a Masters in Environment, Policy and Society , but has happily swapped his time as a ranger with a chainsaw to delivery dark skies outreach behind a telescope.   Dan is actively involved in enhancing lighting policy in the UK and is coordinates a UK Dark Sky partnership with protected landscape partners with a goal of developing specific policies for dark skies.  He also currently sits on the IDA Dark Sky Places Committee.

Dr Jurgen Schmoll

Jurgen has a PhD in astronomy, working on mostly astronomical instrumentation projects at Durham University as “Senior Optical Engineer.”  He is a renowned amateur astronomer with his own observatory housing several telescopes and has an interest in instrument building, astro imaging and outreach. Jurgen is a trustee and volunteer of Wynyard Planetarium and former trustee at Kielder Observatory. As a director of the DarkSky UK Chapter, he is interested in technical solutions and educational approaches to curb light pollution.

Paul Gregory, MSLL, MILP

Paul originally trained in audio visual and theatre lighting design after leaving the British Army in 1991 and has spent over 25 years in senior architectural lighting specification.  He sits on the DarkSky (USA) technical committee and is one of the founding directors for the DarkSky UK, promoting the IDA Fixture Seal of Approval program to lighting manufacturers.  He is an active member of both the Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) and the Society of Light & Lighting (SLL), alongside the Institute of Lighting Professionals (ILP).  Paul regularly contributes to debates and white papers on lighting technology and metrics and he is a keen amateur astronomer and conservationist.

Rory Marr

Rory Marr has over 33 years’ experience in the electrical and lighting industry, spanning wholesaling, manufacturing, contracting, and consultancy. His career includes award-winning projects across the UK and Middle East, covering lighting design, product development, controls, installation, and commissioning. As an Associate Director at Hoare Lea, he leads the Environmental Lighting team, specialising in the design and assessment of schemes that mitigate obtrusive light, supporting planning applications through Lighting Impact Assessments. A member of the Society of Light and Lighting (SLL), Rory also serves on the Institute of Lighting Professionals and DarkSky UK Technical Committees and is part of DEFRA’s Noise and Nuisance Technical Support Team for light pollution.

Jim Verner

Jim Verner is a newly appointed Director

Conflict of Interest Policy

Most of the directors, leadership and volunteers of the DarkSky UK work within an industry related to lighting and/or dark skies. We take every care to avoid conflicts of interest and a copy of our policy is available on request.