About the event

Education Officer and 'everything bat' enthusiast Laura Ashfield, will guide you through this fascinating evening learning all about bats and their ecology & behaviours along with how you can help them to thrive. She will begin the session in the classroom talking about some of the bats you should see & hear that evening which will include information about their life cycle, habitat and feeding patterns.  She will also teach you how to conduct a National Bat Monitoring Programme (NBMP) Sunset Survey before taking you on a walk through the woods at dusk when the creatures of the night come alive. It will then be your turn to conduct the survey. Bring a chair, torch, blanket and a flask for your hour in the woods monitoring the bat activity of Nower Wood.

Afterwards, you will reconvene in the classroom to discuss your findings over a well-deserved cuppa. The evening will finish with Laura reviewing the best ways that we can all help these wonderful mammals survive.

Tutor Profile - Laura Ashfield

Laura has been “batty about bats” since her university days when she wrote a paper about them and their behaviour. She has helped with ecological bat surveys for consultancy firms and led countless bat walks for local community groups, the Wildlife Trusts and the Royal Parks. By day she works for the Surrey Wildlife Trust engaging with school communities, increasing their connection with, and encouraging them to take action for nature.