Bat Helpline
When bats are most active between May and September, BCT runs an out of hours helpline, where volunteers answer emergency calls from the public in the evenings and at weekends. Volunteers receive training in answering calls before the season begins, as well as full support from BCT staff throughout the season.
The project has been running successfully for four years. Here’s how it all works:
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At the end of the working day, a member of staff will divert the BCT phones to the home telephone of the volunteer on duty that evening.
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Callers during the evening hear an automated message, explaining that an out of hours service is available for emergencies, and giving the caller the option of either leaving a message (for non-urgent enquiries) or being put through to a volunteer.
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Common calls involve grounded or injured bats found by the public, bats trapped in people’s houses, newly-discovered roosts and planning and development queries.
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The following morning a member of staff will divert the phone back to the BCT office or during weekends, to the next volunteer on the rota.
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We aim to provide out of office hours cover, but we don’t expect our volunteers to be available through out the night.
Typically, our volunteers take 5 calls over an evening, between 5.30 and 11pm. The out of hours helpline can sometimes be a challenge, but the rewards are also great. It would not be possible to run such a service without the volunteers and their help is greatly appreciated.
How to Volunteer
We're very grateful to have enough volunteers for the 2008 season. To sign up for the 2009 project or to get further information, please contact Jen Pope on 0845 1300 228 or jpope@bats.org.uk.