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Herefordshire has been commended for work to keep the county’s skies dark for better stargazing – and to help wildlife and human health.

As one of England’s least densely populated counties, Herefordshire suffers relatively low light pollution at night, which a group of volunteers have been working to maintain and improve.

Now the Dark Skies Herefordshire group, backed by countryside charity Herefordshire CPRE, has been honoured with the DarkSky International Bob Gent Community Leadership Award.

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Engagement manager of US-based movement Chris Peterson said the award “recognises your remarkable efforts in addressing light pollution through citizen science, volunteer engagement, and influencing local policy”.

Its work bringing together parish councils and local businesses to promote dark skies locally was “truly exemplary”, he said.

Founded by former county councillor Yolande Watson, Dark Skies Herefordshire works with county bodies Visit Herefordshire, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust and the Wye Adapt to Climate Change Project to protect and promote Herefordshire’s dark skies and to raise awareness of the light pollution problem.

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Jon Parr of Fownhope parish council’s environment group said the project “has helped us to avoid street lights being included on a new housing development” in the village, southeast of Hereford. A “dark skies bench” is also planned on its recreation field.

Jon Lee, chairman of Pyons group parish council on the other side of Hereford said light pollution “affects human health and wildlife behaviour, compounding the loss of habitats to housing development”.

A survey of the parish’s night skies as part of the project “gave us a good idea of the spread of pollution from artificial light across the area”, which will guide future policy on this in the parish’s neighbourhood development plan, Coun Lee said.

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As well as the main settlements, “other light hot-spots tended to be farm and home security lights”, he added.

Artificial night-time lighting can interfere with the natural night-time patterns of humans and wildlife, CPRE Herefordshire says, with nocturnal insects particularly affected.

Herefordshire Astronomical Society, a partner in the project, holds regular meetings in Hereford’s Kindle Centre, while Fownhope’s recreation field is one of its observation sites.