The pillbox, at Waypost Wood, Cranfield, formed part of the defences for RAF Cranfield, and had been overtaken by brambles. We’ve cleared the vegetation and restored the exterior of the pillbox, so that the original structure can clearly be appreciated. To make the structure suitable for a bat hibernaculum the interior environment needs to be dark, with restricted airflow and stable humidity and temperature – which we’ve achieved by covering the existing gun loopholes (on the inside only to keep the exterior true to its original state), adding an entrance tunnel and part covering the rear of the pillbox with soil. Finally, we’ve added timber bat roost boxes and bat bricks to encourage bats to roost.

All of this work has been undertaken, but unfortunately the £8,000 funding we were expecting has fallen through due to unforeseen circumstances, leaving the Charity severely out of pocket.

We’re delighted with the project and habitat creation is a vital part of our work, but we didn’t anticipate having to cover all of the £11,149 cost.

Can you help? If you are able to offer a donation to help us off-set this cost, it would make a real impact!