Welcome!

Thank you for joining the Manx Bat Group and helping to promote bat conservation in the Isle of Man. We look forward to your participation in the Group’s activities. Below is a summary of some of your membership benefits.

As a member of the Manx Bat Group, you have agreed to abide by the requirements of the Wildlife Act 1990. Importantly, when engaged in bat-related activities or when talking to people about bats, please remember that all bats and their roosts are protected under Manx law. If in doubt, ask other group members for help.

Happy batting!

The Treasurer

Contacts

Chairman: Nick Pinder, chairman@manxbatgroup.org

Treasurer: Sue Pinder, treasurer@manxbatgroup.org

Secretary: Louise Samson, secretary@manxbatgroup.org

bat survey at Laxey Wheel mine

Events

We organise a programme of member and public events throughout the year, including regular group meetings, summer bat walks, bat box making days, bat care training, surveys and social events. Check out the current events list on this website. If you’re hooked up to social media, keep an eye on our Facebook page. And you will find more information in our newsletter, BatMann.

Newsletter

Our newsletter BatMann is usually published twice a year and is mailed to all members. You can view back issues here. Please get in touch if you’d like to share your experiences of batting or have some useful information or ideas we could include in the newsletter.

BatMann
Surveying a bridge

Experience

If you are new to batting, the best way to learn more is to come along to our meetings and summer bat walks or to help with bat surveys. Make sure we have your current email address so we can let you know when we are looking for survey volunteers. All help is welcome, and you will be shown what you need to do when you come along.

As you become more experienced you may wish to purchase your own bat detector or train to become a bat carer who can look after injured and grounded bats. We are always willing to offer advice and support to develop your knowledge and experience of bats.

Resources

You may wish to read more about bats and we have a small resource library available for members. Please ask for details if there is something you are interested in learning about. A good comprehensive resource is the Batworkers’ Manual, which is available free from Defra.

As a member of the Manx Bat Group you have access to the Partner Groups section of the Bat Conservation Trust website at www.bats.org.uk. The login username and password are both ‘partner’. The website has lots of useful information and resources about bats.

bat books library

Website

This website has more information about the group, general information about Manx bats and where to see them, upcoming events, news and contact details. There is also a members-only section, which you can access via the member account button. You should have received your login details separately when you joined. We welcome news and contributions from members for possible inclusion on the site. You can also submit records of bat sightings and roosts using the online records form.

Committee

The group is run by unpaid volunteers and is a registered Manx charity. A committee is elected from the membership each year at the AGM (in Nov/Dec), which oversees and coordinates the work of the group. We usually include a summary of what the committee has been dealing with in BatMann. We now mostly discuss Bat Group matters at our group meetings so that all members can contribute. Contact details for the current chairman, treasurer and secretary are at the top of this page.

batty cake
talking to children about bats

Representing the Bat Group

If being on the committee is not for you there are lots of other ways to get involved with group activities. We regularly engage with the public by giving talks about bats to youth and community groups or running bat activities, attending public events such as the agricultural shows to answer questions and provide leaflets and information, and conducting bat surveys of properties subject to planning. If you can help with any of these activities please get in touch. We need your help!

Bat helpline

We operate a helpline number for people who find injured or grounded bats or have an urgent bat query. Please leave a message if no one answers immediately and someone will call back as soon as possible. You can also get in touch using the officers’ emails or via Facebook. The phone number is

366177

Bat helpline

Bank transfer details

Bank: Lloyds TSB 30-12-80

Account: Manx Bat Group 01082548

 

Membership fees

These are due each year on the anniversary of your joining date. If you have opted to pay by recurring direct debit, thank you – you don’t need to do anything else, and neither do we, as your membership will be renewed automatically each year.

If you have opted to pay this year’s subscription by card, your payment will be processed by PayPal via paysubsonline.

If you have opted to pay this year’s subscription by bank transfer, please do this now! Remember to include your name as a reference so we know who has paid. Current membership fees are adult £7.50, family/joint £10, junior (under 18) £4.