Moffat was the first European town to be certified as an International Dark Sky Place. After upgrading its public lighting, in 2016 Moffat became the first European town to receive International Dark Sky Place certification. More recently, the town’s fame has taken a darker turn-literally. It sits in a valley in the hilly southern uplands 60 miles southeast of Glasgow, and first gained attention as a Victorian-era spa town known for its sulfur-rich springs. Moffat is a quaint market town of old stone buildings with a population of about 2,400. “I’m going to give mine to Friends of the Earth this year.” “We do it for tips and donate what we earn to the charity of our choice,” says Rogers. In Moffat, Rogers and her fellow modern links have other motivations. Historically, links were usually destitute children trying to earn a living: A customer might pay a single farthing, a quarter of a penny, per trip. In Victorian-era London, links-back then known as link boys-provided a kind of mobile lamppost service, escorting middle- and upper-class customers through the city’s dark, foggy, and sometimes dangerous streets. “Do you need a link?” asks Sarah Rogers, 15, ginger curls poking out from under her woolen cap. A boisterous group exits the establishment and one of the teens steps forward. The pair wait with handmade, triangular paper lanterns that glow from within. On a chilly January night, a pale yellow moon shines down on the small Scottish town of Moffat and two teenagers standing outside a cozy, candlelit pub.
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