Affordable, practical lighting for Sowerby’s 1km fitness track

As part of plans to boost facilities for sport and recreation, Hambleton District Council created a 1km fitness track suitable for running, cycling and walking which forms part of a larger sports village in Sowerby on the outskirts of Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

Following consultation with a local athletics group, the council needed to provide guided delineation around the course to enable the facility to be used during the winter and the darker nights.

The district council had to balance the need to create a safe and attractive public environment while maintaining the biodiversity of the site and limiting any light encroachment on local residential properties.

Aspects such as, location, usage, artificial light levels, maintenance, and cost were all important factors that the council needed to consider, which is why they selected Solareye who could offer an affordable solar lighting solution that met all their requirements.

The solution

As an initial trial Hambleton District Council procured 20 Solareye80 lights to enable runners to subjectively evaluate their performance on the track.

The test was a resounding success so Hambleton District Council went on to install 126 white Solareye80 lights with ‘Bat Hats’ – a model specifically designed to minimise upward light spillage by 98% and therefore reduce disruption to local wildlife – along the 1km asphalt track. They also installed 16 green Solareye80 Bat Hats to act as distance markers and 4 red flashing Solareye80s to highlight where the track splits.

Running track with solar ground lights

John Horne, Product Development Manager at Solareye said: “We are always excited to hear about the range of applications, from large scale projects such as cycle tracks to smaller applications around the grounds of a house – the beauty of Solareye is in its flexibility.”

A word from the customer

“Solareye helped by sharing their expertise and advice on the best lighting solution for our scheme. They provided samples of the product so that we were able to test it out first to make sure that it was right for us. We found that Solareye80 exceeded our expectations and so we were happy to place the order for the full scheme.

Solareye were very easy to deal with and responded promptly to all our enquiries. They were able to come to site so that the design of the final scheme was well planned and met our requirements. During installation, they were efficient and professional.”

Lisa Wilson, Communities Manager, Hambleton District Council

The benefits

The design of the Solareye80 Bat Hat was appealing to the council because the product reduces light pollution to an absolute minimum and being solar powered eliminates the need for mains electricity making it easier and more cost-effective to install and maintain.

Lisa Wilson also said: the new outdoor solar lights have been a real asset to the fitness track, providing many benefits:

• Solareye80 is a great choice for the sports facility as no electricity is required, which means minimal maintenance and low costs.

• The solar lights outline the fitness tracks by offering a comfortable glow without being obtrusive to local residents or the natural environment.

• Outdoor solar lighting that is great value for money and once installed, they virtually look after themselves, even on the darkest of days.

To download this case study as a PDF click here. If you would like to find out whether Solareyes are right for your project please get in touch with our specialists by calling 01275 872 079 or completing our online form here.