Taking up the challenge to help bats

 

Myself (left) and James Shipman
raised over £700 for BCT running the Royal Parks Half Marathon

Ringing in the New Year brings a fresh start and a determination to make this year even better than the year before. Lots of us will have made New Year’s resolutions to make our lives a little better, even if it is hard.   But as I write this it is estimated that already one in four of us will have given up on our resolutions and shockingly by June almost half of us will have ditched them. So this got me thinking how can we stick at them?

It is easy to dismiss giving up on resolutions as laziness, lack of self-control and setting too high an expectation, but knowing this doesn't help you stick to them.  But maybe if we can give our resolutions a bigger purpose or are challenging ourselves for the good of something we love gives us an extra push we need and that is what helps us persevere through the tough times too.

The reason why we do it

Working at the Bat Conservation Trust I see volunteers, members and supporters doing amazing things every day, and they never give up. What do they have that New Year’s resolution setters don't? Well I reckon it is because they are doing it for the bats - a cause they love.  I think this is where fundraising for bats can really make a difference - chances are, if you are reading this blog - you’re not just a liker of bats but you are probably pretty batty for them. Do people call you bat man? Are you always Dracula at Halloween? If so carry on reading...

If you want to stick to your resolutions why not do it for the bats and combine it with raising some money? There are many ways you can give to a charity, donating a tenner, becoming a member and leaving a legacy , but fundraising for charities by giving your time and energy can give you that extra drive to stick to your New Year's resolutions. Whether you donate your cigarette money to bats or get sponsored to do all that exercise there are lots to ways to turn your resolution into something more. It can be so rewarding for both you and your chosen charity and give you the determination to keep going when others would give up.

Sean Hanna dressing as a noctule for BCT

As well as helping us by raising much needed funds taking on a challenge for charity helps us in many other ways. Educating your friends and family too. It  can inspire others to do that little bit extra for bats too.

What’s in it for you? As well as giving you the boost to keep going.  Taking on a challenge for charity you love is also a great way to become more involved, learn more and meet new friends.





In the past we have had students walking 500 miles for us (I don't think they then walked 500 more), people undertaking fun runs dressed as bats, half marathons and cycle challenges in aid of us right through to people going that extra mile, hosting Halloween parties, having cake stalls at school and even a guess the date and weight of a birth. 

Northern Ireland Environment Agency holding
a cake sale and raising over £150 for bat

 And this year looks set to be a great year for fundraising we already have two people running for us in the Royal Parks Half Marathon, someone cycling 100 miles for bats and a student who is prepared to spend the day blindfolded in order to dispel the myths educate their friends and raise some vital cash for bats.

So maybe don’t worry about seeing all your resolutions through this year just make one small one to have some fun and help a charity that you care about 
  
 Last year my New Year's resolution to was to do more exercise - I hadn't run since high school so entered the year with a sense of trepidation and I have to admit the first few months were arduous, I hardly ran and it was surprising how many 'reasons' I could find to not have to do a run. Soon I realised it was crunch time “To run or not to run”

Myself  after my run

That’s when the running place for the half marathon came up, I decided to enter myself before I had a chance to say “No”

Running this time was different, every mile was an achievement closer to my end goal and sooner or later I actually found myself enjoying it. What’s more the joy didn’t stop there. It gave me opportunities to talk to my friends and family about my love for conservation - when I asked them if they would like to sponsor me more often than not the first thing they said was, why? And why bats?? A smirk would then rise on my face and I’d take a deep breath before beginning with "Well,..”

Race day came and I met up with fellow BCT member James Shipman who was also racing for us. The nerves were kicking in but I knew there was no way of getting out of it. So I did what I had to do and ran, simply ran and yes it was horrid, yes I felt like I wanted to give up at every mile but when the going got tough I just thought about everyone who had sponsored me and how it had made me feel that people had faith in me that I would do it and then it was over.. .

I did say I would never run again but I think everyone knew it wouldn’t be long before I had my trainers on again, so here I am in 2013 with new running goals and new charities to enthuse people about. This year I am planning on running 1,000 miles in aid of the MS society (multiple sclerosis) – Don’t worry it’s not all in one go, I totted up the miles I would have trained last year and figured it wouldn’t be too hard to run a bit more each day and use all my training and marathon running miles together. 

What I really love about the fundraising I do is how my  it embodies my two passions in life - I really have the running bug and through simply putting one step in from of the other I can educate and enthuse people and raise money for charities that I respect... “ Quids in” I’d say.

Halloween cake sale at the Northern Ireland
Environment agency head office

Whatever you choose to do, if you do it for that bats; just remember that we are here to help you at every stage of the way.

 Simply visit www.bats.org.uk/fundraise or email me at fundraise@bats.org.uk for information and advice.

Helpling bats recover in the aftermath the wettest summer for 100 years

2012 has been a memorable year,  with massive celebrations and sporting events happening across the country however for conservationists it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons; with the wettest summer on record and the year Ash dieback struck Britain.   With the winter weather predicted to be just as unpredictable our wildlife is facing a truly challenging time.

In spring our Bat Helpline (0845 1300 228) received calls about known bat roosts which had been present for years and years which were now left empty.  In the summer we received 50% more calls about grounded, injured and baby bats than ever before.  Sadly the same stories just kept on coming; bats found grounded on the floor exhausted and unable to fly due to lack of food and the worst calls of all, calls explaining how maternity roosts had formed but that the mothers could not find enough insects to supply their babies with the milk needed so they were forced to abandon them in order for their own survival. 

The weather is still not on our side heavy rain has meant that bats have had a constant uphill battle to eat enough insects and build up enough fat stores to survive the winter. Now when bats should be hibernating we have been getting reports of bats flying at night and even during the day. Some bat workers believe this is a desperate attempt by these bats to get in enough insects to survive the winter, but the pickings will be slim and with the recent cold,wet and windy may well left these bats more drained than when they set out.

How many will survive this winter? We don’t know, but more importantly will next year will be better for them? What we do know is that we can prepare and give bats a fighting chance by acting now so that when bats wake after the winter that there is the food, shelter and habitats that they need to survive.

Bats need a connected landscape with hedgerows, waterways and trees, so they can travel safely between their roosting and feeding sites.  Over the winter we’re working with partners to protect habitats and create wildlife rich meadows, forests, gardens and parks and build new sites to shelter bats.

We’re already making headway on this, maps of the landscape have been developed from a bat perspective allowing us to show planners and local authorities where the important bat sites are and we are giving advice to foresters and woodland owners on how to protect bat roosts from felling and how to create woodlands for wildlife. We’ve published a new guide Landscape and urban design for bats and biodiversity. We’re also continuing to lobby governments to ensure that the roads, railways and lighting that slice through the landscape do not act as barriers to bats, blocking bat flight lines, severing the hedges that link their habitats.  Most recently we have also been working with the Forestry Commission working on a plan of how to protect bats whilst halting the Ash dieback.

Julia our Chief Executive sums it up nicely

“We know there are huge challenges ahead, as creating landscapes for bats is ambitious, but we’re already making progress and if bats are to survive we have to create the spaces they so desperately need”

With this in mind we’re appealing for donations to help us support landscape scale conservation efforts helping to provide bats the food, water and shelter that they need to survive. 

The struggle to conserve our unique bats is greater now than ever before and with that in mind we are asking for your support. Please donate to our landscape appeal. Even a small amount really does help us make a difference.

Will bats have a Happy Halloween?

The Bat Conservation Trust's Director of Communications Heather McFarlane explains why she'll be going batty at Halloween

All over the world bats are popping up, in supermarkets and in pubs, hanging along school halls and peeking out of windows. Nope - this is not a sudden population boom, the bats we see at this time of year regrettably are mostly made of plastic.   

Three cute pipistrelle bats
photo - Catherine Beazley/BCT

For those of us that already know and love our British bats it is hard to see how such tiny, gentle and social creatures could ever have got tangled up in such a spooky image.  Our bats eat moths and midges not bite necks and suck blood. Even more peculiar is that come Halloween our bats will most likely be hibernating not flying around derelict mansions.

Isn't it strange that for most of the year bats are not at the forefront of peoples’ minds then at the time of year when they are disappearing from our skies they are seen all around us for all the wrong reasons.

 BCT pumpkin

   

So why does the Bat Conservation Trust embrace Halloween?

While bats are not spooky they are dark and mysterious, that’s part of their appeal, and Halloween is all about celebrating magic and mystery, so perhaps hanging up plastic bats isn't such a strange thing to do.  Bats are an icon for a night time world very different to our own and there is still so much to learn about them. Some people do find the unknown scary personally I find it thrilling, it is what makes bats so captivating.

So if nothing else Halloween is a great time to celebrate the mystery and beauty of bats.  But for me there are other reasons why I think the bat conservation movement should hijack Halloween for our own ends. 

 Halloween is a great day for bat myth busting!

BCT Helpline

It is often said that fears stems from misunderstandings.  Here at the Bat Conservation Trust this is where we can help!  Our Bat Helpline (0845 1300 228) is there for any questions or concerns about bats and to help with any injured bats found. In my experience people aren’t scared by plastic bats, but it is often misheard information that sets people on edge. Not only are bats not blood suckers, they are not going to get caught in your hair and they won’t cost you the earth if you want to build a loft conversion, just a little bit of planning.  So at a time when everyone is aware of bats anyway, we can insert the much needed facts and information into the bat fiction whilst celebrating the wonder of bats at the same time, perfect! But there is one more thing about Halloween that really means it should be for bats.

If people are decorating their living rooms with bats and eating bat shaped sweeties why can’t get bats get something out of it too? 

BCT's Shirley Thompson at the
Whitby Goth Weekend

If we had a £1 for every bat image used at Halloween so many more bats could be protected! So with this in mind we have developed a Halloween fundraising pack.  Our hope is that people will download the pack and transform their Halloween celebrations into something positive for bats.  If you are celebrating Halloween we’re hoping you’ll go on our site, downloaded our pack full of Halloween activities and ideas, pick up a few bat facts and do a bit of fundraising and myth busting at the same time. To be honest using Halloween to benefits bats is nothing new the wonderful Whitby Gothic Festival patrons  and stallholders have been fundraising around Halloween for the last 15 years.  They have held raffles, bring and buys, auctions and asked for donations at the annual festival raising over £30,000 to date!  This year we hope people all over the country will help us raise £3000 for bat conservation over Halloween.

The rest of the year we celebrate the other side of bats; we work with everyone from policy makers to schools to build the association between bats and healthy environments whether they are urban parks, woodlands managed for wildlife, or homes and buildings. Between spring and autumn we build the image of bats darting across warm summer skies at events and in the media.  We give people the chance to experience bats first hand in the hope that they will associate bats with evenings spent bat watching in night-scented gardens. But in October as the nights draw in and bats head for hibernation we shift our focus, we try to spark people’s imagination, some people will have never thought more deeply about bats than as a Halloween decoration but and we try to get a few more people hooked on bats longer term, or at the very least give people the chance to learn a little more about bats and their conservation needs.

Download your pack today

So maybe next weekend I’ll be packing away the bat detector for the year and dusting off the glittery bats wings ready for a fancy dress party (but I certainly won’t be wearing any fangs!). And when Halloween rolls round I’ll tell everyone about what my costume means and gently explain how we can help out our mysterious creatures of the night all year round. So this October I hope you all have a very Batty Halloween!

If you are interested in fundraising for the Bat Conservation Trust visit www.bats.org.uk/halloween for lots of hints and tips and to download our pack