On Thursday evening we held our very first Cheltenham Action for Nature talk – and what a great way to start.
We were delighted to host the evening at The Greenhouse, Vision 21’s new hub in St Paul’s – a lovely, welcoming space that feels like a perfect fit for bringing people together around nature.
We were joined by Maurice Febry, who gave a fascinating and accessible introduction to many of our native bat species. From how they navigate and hunt, to where they live and the challenges they face, it was a real reminder of just how much is happening around us – often unseen.
Claire gave us some fantastic, practical ideas for how we can support bats in our own gardens. Encouragingly, many of these are simple and enjoyable: growing a mix of flowering plants (some of which she had available to buy on the night), including night-scented varieties, to attract the moths and beetles that bats feed on. Trees also play an important role, providing shelter and structure, and water is particularly valuable – helping to support the insects that some of the smaller bats rely on.
It was also a great opportunity to introduce our new Cheltenham Gardens for Nature project, which is all about the role our gardens and outdoor spaces can play in supporting wildlife across the town. Many of the ideas shared in the talk link directly to this – showing how small actions at home can contribute to something much bigger.
It was a really engaging evening, with lots of interest and thoughtful questions, and a great sense of shared curiosity about how we can all do a little more for nature where we live.
If you weren’t able to make it, we’ve shared recordings of both elements of the talk on our videos page, along with some helpful information sheets on our resources page.
More to come soon – and a big thank you to everyone who came along and helped make it such a positive first event.
