History
Minster - SSSI and Bats
Worldwide there are almost 1,000 different sorts of bat, ranging from the tropical flying foxes, with a wingspan of almost 2 metres (six feet), down to the hog nosed bat of south-east Asia, which is little bigger than a large bumblebee.
In Britain there are only 16 species, all of which are small and eat insects.
Minster has two species of bat
· The Greater Horseshoe - rare and normally found in South-west England and Wales
· The Pipistrelle - fairly common and found throughout Britain
Minster can claim to have the most wonderful “natural “ setting of any church in Cornwall. The tranquillity and shelter that drew St Merthiana to this spot centuries ago can still be experienced today. No wonder then that in a hostile world greater horseshoe bats have found sanctuary in the church and its environs.
Greater Horseshoe bats have suffered more than most other bat species from human activities. Changing land use, loss of woodlands, diminishing insect resources, disturbance and destruction of roosts plus human persecution and ignorance have resulted in dangerously low numbers. Listed as rare and endangered in both Britain and Europe, it requires help and protection to avoid further losses and its future demise.
The colony at Minster represents the largest known maternity roost in Cornwall and one of the largest in the UK, but we are looking at only a small population. Records show that the highest number has not exceeded 200 (5% of the recorded British population) during the last nine years. This colony sustained by high-quality habitat in the Valency Valley, is also limited by its boundaries.
Recent decisions taken by the National Trust to manage the valley and its farms in sympathy with these bats, and the Farm Stewardship Schemes entered into by neighbouring landowners, may in the long term create a larger area for the greater horseshoes to forage in. The cattle at Home Farm are fed with food that encourages the dung beetle, an important element of the bats diet . If this sympathetic land management continues, Minster may be the first colony of greater horseshoes in Cornwall to show an increase in numbers.
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