A BIOLOGIST at the University of York is recruiting community volunteers to help to collect data on bat activity in and around the city.

All 16 species of bats in the UK are protected by law, and their populations are vulnerable due to pollution, persecution and loss of habitat.

Nancy Irwin has helped to organise a series of workshops to train community volunteers to collect data to monitor long term trends in bat populations in the York area.

She said: “This is the first in a series of training days that we are arranging to engage the public in monitoring and collecting data on bats in York.

“The public will get access to fun training days, use of equipment and they will have the satisfaction of knowing their time and efforts will be contributing to usable data.”

The first of the training days, on May 22 in the university’s department of biology, will involve experts from the Zoological Society of London teaching participants how to survey bats using a bat detector strapped to their car. Further workshops will take place on June 5, June 19 and July 3. To take part in the workshops, register at yorkbatgroup.eventbrite.com