We need your help to protect bats in Leicestershire and Rutland!

Bats are fascinating creatures; on a warm summers evening, as day turns to dusk, you may be lucky enough to spot one darting about amongst the trees or over water chasing small insects.

Sadly, in the UK bats have declined dramatically in the last 100 years. Thanks to conservation action some species are showing signs of recovery but to ensure this continues, there is a lot more work to be done.

Bats are at risk from factors including habitat loss, diminishing food supplies, increased urbanisation, light pollution and intensive agricultural practices. Many of the roosting sites and feeding grounds that bats need have been destroyed.

Bats need to eat thousands of insects a night and the increased use of pesticides is causing a huge decline in insect populations, leaving them to suffer. The loss of hedgerows and ancient woodland has destroyed places for bats to roost, and with wild places more spread out, bats find it harder to move between their roosts and feeding sites.

However, there is hope; we are tackling this problem at a local level. Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trusts network of nature reserves provide a variety of precious habitats for bats to roost, mate and forage for food. We carry out important work across our two counties to help protect bats and allow them to thrive in the wild, including putting up bat boxes, managing hedgerows and creating wildflower meadows rich in insects. We also work with local landowners, advising them on how to manage their land in a way that will benefit these wonderful creatures.

You help can make a difference for local bat populations now!

Any donation you can give will help us to continue the vital work we are doing across Leicestershire and Rutland.

£20 Could help pay for the materials needed to build a bug hotel in a community garden to help increase the amount of insects there are for bats to eat

£50 Could pay for volunteer training to monitor and survey bat habitats

£100 Could help restore a hedgerow so that bats can move across the landscape and search for food