News
Can bats harm the health of the congregation?
One of the main reasons bats get a bad name is due to the belief they carry and spread diseases and sometimes church communities worry about the health impact of their resident bats. Lisa Worledge, Head of Conservation Services at Bat Conservation Trust, busts a few myths about rabies, issues with droppings and urine, and Covid-19.
‘We’re on a continual curve of understanding’ Life as a bat ecologist
Sleeping on tombs, batty surprises and the evolution of buildings – welcome to the world of ecologist Emily Dickins, of Bernwood Ecology. We caught up with her to find out a bit more about life as a registered consultant for Bats in Churches.
Largest Bats in Churches capital works project kicks off in West Sussex
This 11th Century, Grade I listed church in West Sussex has lived with its resident colony of Natterer’s bats for several decades. Now a £100k Bats in Churches funded project has kicked off to enable the congregation and bats to live together without disturbing one another.
A world beyond our earshot: how we can identify bats in churches using sound
Volunteers for the National Bats in Churches survey use bat detectors to record sounds to help us ID bats in churches. But what happens next, and how can we tell which species is which? Welcome to the world beyond our earshot.
15 churches and counting! Bats in Churches volunteers Phil and Ilene on their batty summer
Volunteers Phil Atkin and Ilene Sterns have so far surveyed 15 churches for the National Bats in Churches survey. Here, Ilene shares some of their experiences and highlights, as well as her thoughts on what makes volunteering so rewarding.
Surprises in store at St Margaret’s Harwood Dale
It’s important we survey churches that don’t have bats, as well as those that do. But what about those that don’t think they have bats? As Bats in Churches Study volunteer Nick Gibbons discovered when he surveyed St Margaret’s Church in Harwood Dale, historic churches are full of surprises.
Call for volunteers to survey the nation’s churches for bats this summer!
Bats in Churches is appealing for volunteers to come forward and help search for evidence of bats in their local church this summer. Here’s why we need your help – and some of the surprising and exciting results we’ve discovered so far.
July 2020 Update: Getting the ball rolling again
The latest news from Bats in Churches as the project faces the challenges posed by the pandemic head-on and prepares for a season of bat mitigation works in project churches.
Rare bat discovered by our survey volunteers
A rare grey long-eared bat has been discovered at a church in Devon, much to the excitement of Bats in Churches volunteers and partners. So why is this such an important find?
Re-opening guidance for churches post-lockdown
There are a lot of new rules and regulations on keeping your church building safe while re-opening it during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s some advice and tips that might help, from cleaning guidance to preparing for social distancing.
