18 Sep Promotion of the Profession: Bat Awareness Training for Leicestershire County Council
In early September Ecologists Katie Smith and Katy Stiles from our Derbyshire office delivered a bat awareness training session to staff members from Leicestershire County Council who are currently involved in building projects. Attendees included building surveyors, compliance officers and project design officers.
The training session was delivered at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre and gave attendees an overview of bat ecology, habitat preferences, roost types and locations and the legal protection afforded to bats. The presentation also focused on how bats should be considered at the early design stage of a project to ensure successful project delivery where they are present. The session also looked at how nesting birds, badgers and invasive species could be affected by building works.
After a lovely lunch provided by the Tithe Barn café, Katie & Katy led a walk around the site to look at a building which contains a known bat roost and identified further potential roost features on several of the buildings.
It was an enjoyable day for all and a great opportunity to share our knowledge and experience of working with bats, discuss the types of building works which could impact roosting bats, and how to work with an ecologist on projects to achieve good outcomes for bats.
Trudi Unwin, Leicestershire County Council Compliance Officer commented:
“Thank you for such a wonderful bat awareness training session. I know that all who attended found it really interesting, informative and enjoyable, and we have taken a lot from it to help us within our roles. I was looking forward to it but you totally exceeded my expectations.”