A method of controlling a lighting system comprising a plurality of illumination sources each controllable to emit respective illumination for illuminating the environment and a plurality of control apparatus for use in controlling the illumination emitted from one or more of said plurality of illumination sources, the method comprising determining the relative position of a first control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatus compared to a second control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatus, wherein said determining of the relative position comprises determining whether or not the first control apparatus and the second control apparatus are co-located according to at least one predetermined criterion; assigning functions to the first and the second control apparatuses (106a, 106b), the function assigned to the first control apparatus defining how the first control apparatus is to control the illumination of one or more of said illumination sources, the function assigned to the second control apparatus defining how the second control apparatus is to control the illumination of one or more of said illumination sources, whereby a first user input is received at the first control apparatus and the illumination of said one or more illumination sources is controlled in response to the first user input based on the assigned function of the first control apparatus, characterised in that the function of the first control apparatus is assigned based on whether the first control apparatus and the second control apparatus are determined to be co-located according to said at least one predetermined criterion and wherein the function of the second control apparatus is assigned based on whether the first control apparatus and the second control apparatus are determined to be co-located according to said at least one predetermined criterion. determining the relative position of a first control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatus compared to a second control apparatus from the plurality of control apparatus, wherein said determining of the relative position comprises determining whether or not the first control apparatus and the second control apparatus are co-located according to at least one predetermined criterion; assigning functions to the first and the second control apparatuses (106a, 106b), the function assigned to the first control apparatus defining how the first control apparatus is to control the illumination of one or more of said illumination sources, the function assigned to the second control apparatus defining how the second control apparatus is to control the illumination of one or more of said illumination sources, whereby a first user input is received at the first control apparatus and the illumination of said one or more illumination sources is controlled in response to the first user input based on the assigned function of the first control apparatus, characterised in that the function of the first control apparatus is assigned based on whether the first control apparatus and the second control apparatus are determined to be co-located according to said at least one predetermined criterion and wherein the function of the second control apparatus is assigned based on whether the first control apparatus and the second control apparatus are determined to be co-located according to said at least one predetermined criterion.