The Living Alongside Bats in Churches Grant

by Hazel Tocock, BCT's Bats in Churches Advisor

During the Bats in Churches (BiC) Project, hundreds of churches were supported through advice, support, bat education and funding. We discovered that even small funds could make a big difference; churches who were experiencing mess in the church because of the bat roost were given new cleaning equipment, or new covers for artefacts and pews, for example.

St. Andrew, Field Dalling, in Norfolk was one such church who received new pew covers to protect their pews from the bat mess. They said:

New pew cover. (c) St. Andrew, Field Dalling

“You provided us with money for new and attractive covers for the most affected pews and the altar, to protect them from the remaining problem. All this was very worthwhile and helped us feel that someone out there was on our side!”

Inspired by the BiC project, we are excited to announce the launch of the Living Alongside Bats in Churches grant. The Bat Conservation Trust, Natural England, the Church of England, Churches Conservation Trust and Historic England have come together to offer support for small-scale solutions to places of worship who need help with their roost, for example, there may be an increased cleaning burden. Funded by Natural England, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, grants up to £1000 are available and will be used to fund small-scale solutions such as a seasonal professional cleaner, new pews, new cleaning equipment or protective measures for heritage items.

To receive the grant, the place of worship will need to hold a positive community engagement activity inspired by nature. Wildlife engagement activities help connect people to nature on their doorstep and encourage the community to interact with their local place of worship where they may not have done so before. During the BiC Project, many churches held bat inspired events and evenings and discovered what a brilliant attraction bats can be!

A real success story of a nature inspired community event was when the BiC Project supported St. Mary, Stevington, in Bedfordshire, when they held a nature weekend in 2022, ‘Stevington Goes Wild’. Here is what they had to say: 

“It was hot but there were such lovely shady spots in the churchyard, people decided to stay and enjoy the afternoon. It was laid back and relaxing and the activities were right for the occasion. An Owl man and his owls were a big attraction; the Wildlife Trust had some good activities; there were areas for making bug hotels; sowing seeds for edible plants to take home and an art area for various arty creations; the story reading was a great success and the refreshments - loads of delicious cakes and ice creams went down a treat. Two local environment groups came along with information and a couple of MSc students working on water quality of our River Ouse were with them. The church was able to promote the Big Butterfly Count which is taking place at the moment. A perfect day to be honest and wonderful to see the Church enjoyed and children happy to play and be together there. I have whittled on about it because I want to show you how much we and the village appreciated it and to thank you and the Project for making it possible. Not only was it a social occasion but it was the chance to welcome people into the church and show that we regard our natural environment as a priority and an opportunity to increase people's understanding of the natural world. Result!”

Applications for the Living Alongside Bats in Churches grant are now open to all places of worship in England. We will run the grant twice a year and encourage those who are not successful the first-time around to apply at the next available opportunity.

If you know of, or are a place of worship who would benefit from this grant, please see our website for more information.