Rutland church celebrates their resident bats
Its as the £5m 'Bats in Churches' project comes to a close
All Saints in Braunston-in-Rutland are getting ready to celebrate their resident bats as the £5m five-year Bats in Churches project comes to a close.
All Saints was a pilot church for the project between the Church of England, Natural England, The Churches Conservation Trust, Historic England and the Bat Conservation Trust, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
All Saints saw the bat population increase in 2013 when a nearby chimney collapsed and a maternity colony of soprano pipistrelles that had been roosting in the chimney moved into the roof void in the south aisle of the church.
The bats then used holes in the ceiling to enter the church, and bat droppings could be found on most floors and walls. The cleaning burden and smell became so bad that at one point, it was feared the church would have to close.
Following surveys, a specialist ecologist concluded there was no need for bats to fly inside the church and recommended the temporary blocking of the holes in the ceiling to stop the bats accessing the church from the roost.
The project was a success meaning the endangered species could continue to thrive and not cause further disruption to the church.
Churchwarden Sue Willetts said: ‘We have been delighted to have been a pilot church for Bats in Churches. The surveys and resulting work have allowed the church to remain open for worship.
‘Without the help from the project, it’s very likely that the church would have been closed. That’s honestly how desperate the situation had become.’
Churchwarden Rob Anderson added: ‘The Bats in Churches project was truly transformative for Braunston church. We were at a loss as to how to keep the church open. The help from Bats in Churches quickly enabled us to understand how we could successfully coexist with our bats.
‘Our Bats in Churches engagement events have resulted in much wider community understanding of the importance of bats in our ecosystem and how humans and bats can flourish side by side.’
The project is now being celebrated with a beer and bats night on the 3rd September at the Blue Ball pub followed by a visit to the church to see the art installation On A Wing And A Prayer.
The art exhibition celebrates the long-standing connection between bats and churches.
All Saints also inspired an illustrated children’s book, The Little Church Bat, that has sold more than 500 copies and raised funds for church communities affected by bats.