The Bridgwater & Taunton Canal is a quiet gem tucked away in Somerset, and unconnected to the rest of the network. Most of the 14-mile route is rural and a haven for wildlife. It’s also dotted with Second World War pillboxes, which currently stand abandoned.
Now, thanks to a generous gift left to us by the esteemed ecologist John Barkham, we’re restoring one of these pillboxes and turning it into a ‘bat bunker’ to help give threatened bats a safe haven.
John Barkham was born in Taunton, and as a youngster loved spending time wildlife watching near the canal. His passion for wildlife turned into a career, and he spent 30 years teaching in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia. His family feel that helping nature at a place so important to him is a fitting tribute.
As part of a separate project, we have also transformed some pillboxes into bat shelters along the Kennet & Avon Canal in Berkshire. To get a pillbox ready for bats, we have to clear out bushes or shrubs which have taken root and secure the entrance to keep humans out.
We’re very grateful that John’s gift will provide a bat bunker in Somerset.
