Bats in the Belfry!

St Mary's Sheering is home to several species of bats in the summer months. The bats are probably not in the belfry, but roost around the inside of the nave. They are night creatures and are not seen during services either during the day or evening as they hide from the light. The only evidence we normally see is the need to clean round the pews before services!

Having bats in the church is not a problem, but they may have encouraged the problems with deathwatch beetle.

Because bats are a threatened species they are protected by law and we have to be careful not to disturb them when we have work done on the church.

For more information about bats, see the Defra website or visit the Bat Conservation Trust