In September, a small group joined Andrew Clark on a bat walk around the farm. With bat detectors in hand, they listened in on the farm after dark: the rapid chatter of pipistrelles, the loud calls of noctules over the grassland, and Daubenton’s bats sweeping low over the ponds and the Ellerbrook. The walk sold out, which told us something. People want to know more about the animals that share this place with us.

So this autumn we’re doing something practical for them. On Saturday 7th November, we’re inviting you to come and build a bat box.

Why bats need a hand

All of the UK’s bats eat insects. A single pipistrelle, no heavier than a £1 coin, can catch thousands of insects in one night. They’re part of what keeps a healthy landscape working.

But bats need safe places to roost, and many of the places they’ve relied on are disappearing. Old buildings get renovated, and gaps in roofs are sealed. Mature trees with cracks and hollows are cut down. A well-made bat box gives bats a substitute: a narrow, sheltered crevice where they can rest out of sight.

Why November is a good time

At this time of year, bats are settling into hibernation. A box put up over the winter has months to weather and lose its new-timber smell before bats become active again in spring. Bats can take a while to find and move into a new box, so it pays to get it up early and then be patient.

What happens on the day

The session is led by Andrew Clark, the farm’s ecological advisor, and Brian Thomas of the Merseyside & West Lancashire Bat Group.

We’ll start with a short presentation about bats: which species live around here, how they use the landscape, and where to put a bat box so it has the best chance of being used.

Then it’s time to build. Each place comes with a bat box kit, with every part already marked out and cut. There’s no measuring and no sawing. Andrew and Brian will take you through the assembly step by step and help wherever you need it. Basic tools are provided, and you’re welcome to bring your own.

You’ll take your finished box home to put up in your garden. Or, if you’d prefer, you can donate it to the farm, and we’ll install it here, where we know bats are active.

If the weather turns, we’ll carry on in one of our polytunnels. Refreshments are available for a donation.

A morning for families

Children are very welcome, working alongside an adult. Building a box together, then watching for bats on summer evenings, is a good way to share something with the young people in your life.

We’ve limited bookings to one place per family. There are only twelve kits, and we’d like as many households as possible to have the chance to take part.

Why we’re doing this

Supporting habitat and wildlife has always been part of how Burscough Community Farm works. We farm organically across eight acres and look after our hedgerows, woodland edges, ponds and wildlife corridors because they give other creatures a home. Bats hunting over the fields on a summer evening are a sign that this approach is working.

We ran a bat box day many years ago. If this one goes well, we’d like to make it a regular part of the farm year.

Where your money goes

The £10 fee covers the cost of materials. Whatever is left is shared between Burscough Community Farm and the Merseyside & West Lancashire Bat Group, so your place also supports local bat conservation.

Join us

• Saturday 7th November 2026, 11:00–13:00
• Burscough Community Farm, Meadow Lane, Burscough, L40 4BB
• £10 per place, including your bat box kit
• 12 places, one per family
• Adults, and children supported by an adult
• Refreshments available for a donation
• Full refund if you cancel more than 48 hours before the event

What to bring: clothing suitable for the weather, and your own tools if you’d like to use them.

Book your place

Come and spend a November morning making something that could give a family of bats a place to rest for years.