A bat walk is the latest in a series of events marking the 150th anniversary of a major reordering of St Laurence’s Church in Caversfield.
The walk was attended by more than 60 people who were led by volunteers from the Bucks, Berks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT). The church is thought to be around 1,000 years old, and the building itself features a Saxon bass to its tower and one of the oldest bells in the UK.
St Laurence’s is a home to several different types of bat, which made it an ideal venue for this event. As well as seeing the bats, visitors were able to hear them with equipment brought along by the BBOWT volunteers. The bat detectors work by translating the bats ultrasonic echo location signals, used to hunt their prey, into sounds audible to the human ear.
The Revd Peter Wright, Rector of the Bicester Team, said: “It was great to see so many new faces for the bat walk at St Laurence’s. Seeing God’s handiwork in the beauty and wonder of the natural world has always been part of the Christian faith. As the population of North Bicester increases, we hope more and more people will visit St Laurence’s to appreciate this very special place.”
The event also fits into the church's adopted priorities which are Worship, Welcome and Wildlife. The church holds two services each month: an all-age Holy Communion service on the second Sunday and an outdoor service on the fourth Sunday. The local church community has been working over years to make churchyard a peaceful, welcoming place and people often visit during the day to sit, reflect and pray. Part of this work is ensuring the churchyard is nurtured as a haven for wildlife and a wide variety of plant species.
What could your church do this Creationtide?