Kate Rusby

The Bat Conservation Trust is over the moon to have the wonderful English folk singing star, Kate Rusby, as our first Ambassador.

Kate is one of the best-known English folk singers. Her beautiful vocals and musicianship have won her wide and enduring appeal. In 1999, aged 26, she was chosen by the BBC as one of the Top 10 folk voices of the century and also nominated for a Mercury Prize.

And we can reveal Kate’s other passion is bats! She said: "Bats, bats, aw lovely, fabulous, mysterious bats! I have had a love of bats for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the same village I live now, and we are blessed to have bats flitting about the evening sky in the summer months. I was encouraged to watch them as a child, performing their aerial acrobatics, and chattering away.

“I feel an added affiliation with bats as they are nocturnal animals, just like musicians! We both dwell in that quiet, stillness darting about from place to place. I have appreciated their company even more at times of loneliness, just to know they are awake and vibrant is a great comfort.

“Every spring I get this feeling, out of no-where, and I know my friends the bats will be about soon, so I sit each evening and wait to spot them, that first sighting is always a gorgeous moment, the world is ok, the bats are back!

“They are beautiful, fascinating, incredible, musical, mystical little creatures and we need to look after them, keep making them safe and welcome, so that our great grand-children (and beyond) will be able to gaze on them in wonder and treasure their company, and what an honour that is."

Kate hails from Yorkshire and has been described as the Barnsley Nightingale, and as a superstar of the British acoustic scene. Her first solo album, Hourglass, was released in 1997. Her latest album, Hand Me Down, is due for release in August 2021.

More about Kate: https://katerusby.com/about/