Churches have been home to bats for hundreds of years, but having these fascinating species make a home in your church isn’t always a blessing…

For the past five years the Bats In Churches Project, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has been working with architects, ecologists, church communities and bat groups to help churches live alongside their bats. Find out how new ceilings, long brushes, and a passion for bats and churches, have been used across England to revitalise church communities, protect our threatened bats and look after the amazing heritage inside our churches.

The Bats In Churches Project is a partnership between Natural England, Church of England, Churches Conservation Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Historic England. Find out more at https://batsinchurches.org.uk/

Kate Jones (Natural England) has led the Bats In Churches Project since 2020 and has a background in managing nature conservation projects for Natural England.

Diana Spencer (Church of England) has been part of the Bats In Churches Project for the past five years, working directly with churches primarily in the east of England. She has previously worked on community engagement projects from Devon to Aberdeenshire, including endangered species reintroduction and restoration of historic parklands and landscapes.