How England’s churches are making an uneasy peace with the bats in their belfries

A £5m project is helping more than 100 historic churches deal with the damage caused by bat colonies

High above the pews of All Saints church in Thornham, north Norfolk, a roost of soprano pipistrelle bats have made their home. The nooks and crannies of the medieval church are perfect entry points for the winged mammals, whose bodies are about the size of a thumb. In the warmer months, they emerge every evening from the rafters as darkness falls.

“They like our church,” says Janet Needham, the warden, over tea and chocolate digestives in the church library.