Thank you to all our supporters.

Calling all bat lovers...during lockdown our church has become home to some very special, regionally rare and declining Natterers bats.

Before starting urgent roof repairs, we invited Dr Polly Coldrick of Pan Ecology to carry out surveys and report. We knew we had bats visiting the church - there is plenty of evidence - but previously only Pipistrelles and Long Eared bats visited and no maternal roosts had been found. According to Dr Coldrick, Natterers bats are found throughout most of the British Isles but generally it is a scarce and poorly known species current data suggests that the UK population increased from 1999-2016 but in Cornwall, Natterers bats are widespread but infrequent ... and here's the worrying bit...and the most recent data indicate that the Cornish population are not following the positive national trend but are declining in the county.

To help care for the new tenants of St Sampson's Church, you can sponsor a St Sampson's bat, or part of a bat. The extra cost to keep the bats safe on top of vital roof repairs is £6,000. The survey identified 30 bats flying in and out to their roosts so each bat needs £200 rent - although babies live free! You can sponsor a whole bat or a contribution towards it (whole bat £200, wing £50, leg £20 echolocation hearing £10).

Unfortunately, the bats are in danger with urgent, essential roof works on the church needed, and with the discovery of the baby bats the mission has become ever more critical. Whilst bat habitats are protected by law, it falls upon volunteers and donations to fund their conservation and enable them to thrive.

Dr Honor Gay, Bats in Churches Project states: "churches are crucial sanctuaries for Natterers bats and I applaud the church community at St Sampsons for living alongside their important maternity roost".

Because of the number and nature of bats using the building and their conservation status, St Sampsons is now considered to be of regional importance for the conservation of bats.

We are taking all necessary steps to protect our new residents and, with support from our local community, we have set up the South Hill Bat Project, which involves improvement of the habitat of the churchyard for bats and other species, and talks and activities for all ages, such as bat box building days and guided bat watching, ecology work and roof work.

The Bishop of Truro, Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, has put his name down to sponsor a bat: "Learning to live in harmony with nature, rather than trying to curb and control it, is one of the greatest challenges of our time. That's why I'm very supportive of the South Hill Sponsor a bat appeal and why I'm delighted to be sponsoring a bat myself. Please do consider how you could help support these amazing creatures and the lovely community of St Sampson's, South Hill".

There has also been welcome support from celebrity Chris Packham, well know naturalist. He has personally sponsored a bat and named it Botham, as he said in his Tweet he was quite handy with a bat. His support and sharing on his social media is very much appreciated.

If you make a donation, to receive you certificate of sponsorship and name your bat send an e mail to stsampsonssouthhill@gmail.com