December 2023
The Sussex Bat Group, the Vincent Wildlife Trust and others have been working hard to safeguard the iconic species the greater horseshoe bat by purchasing and restoring a roost site in West Sussex. Generous donations from bat group members, other county bat groups, ecologists and a myriad of other supporters enabled us to purchase the building and surrounding woodland plot and complete the first tranche of essential restoration works to replace the roof and stabilise the building, along with a few internal enhancements. More recently a substantial grant has been secured to help complete the building work and provide all the desired internal enhancements required to future proof the building and provide all-year-round roosting provisions for the bats, and a lot more besides...
The Horseshoes Heading East project received funding from Natural England's Species Recovery Programme and will be used to enhance roost sites and commuting and foraging habitat locally, including enhancements to other buildings known to be used as roosts by the only known colony of greater horseshoe bats in the south-east region. These buildings are used as transitional roosts, hibernation sites and occasional roosts, such as day and night roosts. The grant funding will also extend to working with local landowners to promote understanding of bats in the landscape and improve habitat connectivity. At ‘our’ roost, the HHE grant money will be used, over the next few months, to make it a bespoke space for greater horseshoe bats and to future-proof the roost against the impacts of climate change. These works will happen during the winter months when the bats move to their hibernation roosts and will include predator-proofing the building; constructing thermo-regulated sections for maternity roosts; and installing equipment to monitor the population over time.
The Sussex Bat Group is now focusing on the completion of the ‘Hutson Hide’ – a small structure adjacent to the main roost which is to be converted to a hide, allowing researchers and groups of visitors to observe the bats emerging from their roost.
The Hutson Hide.
Sadly, in early 2023 we lost international bat expert and the founder of the Sussex Bat Group – Tony Hutson. Tony had been instrumental in getting the Greater Horseshoe Bat project off the ground in Sussex and was deeply involved with fundraising, research, networking etc. Without Tony’s knowledge and efforts this very special bat roost may not have been conserved. A big part of Tony’s legacy is to have been instrumental in securing the future of Greater Horseshoe Bats in the south-east of England.
In his memory, the Sussex Bat Group are raising funds to complete the hide – to provide enhancements, such as educational displays, information boards and equipment to help study the bats. Tony was a great believer in educating people about bats and their habits and the Hutson Hide fundraiser aims to raise the necessary funds to provide a comfortable learning space for interested groups and individuals to congregate and share knowledge whilst quietly observing the bats come and go from the roost. Hopefully it will be possible to purchase and install video equipment so that the bats can be observed in their roost without causing disturbance. Although the official Sussex Bat Appeal has now finished, you can still donate through Sussex Bat Group’s JustGiving page.
Please help us raise money to achieve this in time for the 2024 season!
Also, please note that the Bat Group will be holding an auction of Tony’s bat books and other bat related items in the New Year. These were generously donated by Tony’s wife, Jacqui Hutson, to help with this cause. Any additional monies raised will support our other important bat conservation work, such as funding the Sussex Bat Hospital.
During the last century, greater horseshoe bat numbers fell by over 90% in Britain, by some estimates, and the species range retracted to parts of south Wales and south-west England. From a 20th century low of some 4,000 individuals, the current estimated population is around 13,000 (to put this in context, there is an estimated three million pipistrelles – our most common bat). This rise in population may have helped to fuel an eastward quest to make new roosts in areas once frequented and is bringing some much-needed good news. With the population showing signs of recovery, small colonies are now being found outside the core areas.
For many years, the Sussex Bat Group and local bat workers have been monitoring the presence of small numbers of greater horseshoe bats in Sussex, primarily in hibernation sites. To have finally located the long-suspected maternity roost is a real game changer in terms of monitoring and protecting the species into the future.
The pioneer breeding colony, discovered in 2019 in an old stable block in Sussex, by a Bat Group member – was a sign of a possible eastward spread. For this reason, it is a site that must be protected for the future. With help, this small but hugely significant colony of greater horseshoe bats is becoming a real biodiversity success story – a species on the road to recovery and now returning to one of its former haunts, after an absence of more than century, without recourse to the current trends towards reintroductions and captive breeding. Once the site is enhanced for the bats, we would expect, over time, to see good levels of survival and reproductive success, resulting in a growing, thriving maternity colony. It is also hoped that this site will act as a ‘honeypot’, attracting further pioneers to the area.
The West Sussex site is owned by the Vincent Wildlife Trust and will be managed as a bat roost reserve by the Trust, in conjunction with the Sussex Bat Group, in perpetuity. Right now, this is probably the most important greater horseshoe bat roost site in Britain and was the most significant find since the Sussex Bat Group was formed, by Tony Hutson, in 1984.
Horseshoes ARE Heading East – Watch this space as experts from the Vincent Wildlife Trust and Sussex Bat Group start to pave the way for success. Please donate what you can to the Hutson Hide appeal to see Tony Hutson’s passion for education, outreach and inclusivity live on after his death.
We were delighted this summer to see the greater horseshoe bats back in the newly renovated roost in West Sussex. Thanks to our partnership with VWT and the huge generosity of supporters and volunteers, the colony now has a safe and weatherproof space to raise young.
We record and monitor bat populations in Sussex. We carry out conservation projects including box schemes, improving roost sites or opening and protecting sites. We organise talks and educational events throughout the year, as well as and care for sick and injured bats, supporting bat hospital.
Charity Registration No. 1103380
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