25 years ago in 1992, pupils from both James Peacock and St Peter’s Schools attended the closing of a Bat Hibernaculum, which was constructed as part of the development of Rushcliffe Country Park.
The pupils made a torch-lit visit into the 52m long tunnel, set 2m deep. Inside they saw the specially-made bat bricks stuck to the walls to enable the bats to roost inside.
After their visit, the doors of the hibernaculum were padlocked to preserve the local bats. A camera crew from Blue Peter also filmed the occasion.
Over the years, the Nottingham Bat Group has monitored the tunnel and it is now a popular haunt for brown long eared bats.
Barbara Breakwell