The Bats in Churches Project
Ten years ago, to reduce heating costs and to avoid the nuisance of bat droppings, the congregation decided to meet in the chancel for Sunday services and a temporary screen was erected to separate the chancel from the nave.During the Bat Roost Visit in August 2018 it was recommended that items be covered with dust sheets when the church was not in use, to reduce the damage by bat droppings and urine. Donations of bed sheets were made by parishioners and villagers and Cilla made covers for all the pews, which makes cleaning the Church much quicker and easier. It was an arduous job but worth it.
In December 2018, a meeting of the PCC and Diocesan Advisory Committee to discuss the replacement of the ageing screen between the chancel and nave acknowledged the impact of bats on the church community. This resulted in a recommendation by St Albans Diocese that Salford be included in the Bats in Churches Project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The PCC were thrilled to be informed in November 2019 that St Mary the Virgin had been included in the Bats in Churches Project, a four-year project finishing in 2023.
The Bats in Churches Project finds ways to help churches coexist with their resident bat population by commissioning expert surveys to understand exactly how the bats are using the church. Expert ecologists work with church architects to develop solutions that protect church heritage, enable community use of the church and safeguard the bats.
The ecological and heritage surveys were planned to start at Salford from April 2020 as a starting point for planning mitigation to separate the church community from the impact of the bats – but this has been delayed due to the COVID 19 pandemic and is now planned to start from April 2021.
Progress on the Project will be reported on this website, as will details of activities to be led by the ecologist, such as bat walks and talks to the village and church community.
You will find more information about the Bats in Churches Project at: https://www.batsandchurches.org.uk/
Further information about the Bat Conservation Trust: https://www.bats.org.uk/
If you would like to read about Bats in Churches: Bats in Churches and how you can help (PDF)