CUMBRIANS have been invited to attend a two-and-a-half-week festival celebrating the county's dark skies.

A series of live online events next month features an evening with acclaimed filmmaker Terry Abraham and a talk from Dr Martin Kitching, director and senior guide of Northern Experience Wildlife Tours, on creatures of the night.

The festival is being held by charity Friends of the Lake District (FoLD).

A spokesman for the Lake District National Park Authority said on social media: "Our February evenings will light up with online events celebrating the wonders of the night during the @FriendsofLakes Cumbria Dark Skies Festival.

"Astronomers, filmmakers and others will challenge us to think about darkness in a new light. Book now."

A spokesman for the festival said: "Live events over 17 evenings in February give you the opportunity to explore our dark skies with astronomers, astrophotographers, authors, filmmakers, lighting and design professionals, performers, poets and outdoor adventurers."

It is part of FoLD's wider mission to 'save' the county's dark skies. The charity says that light pollution in the county is increasing each year, 'threatening to obscure our view of the stars and blinding and confusing animals so they can’t feed or find a mate'.

The Cumbria Dark Skies Festival is being held between February 5 and 21. Visit friendsofthelakedistrict.org.uk/dark-skies-subsite for more information and to book.