HELP US PROTECT BATS WITH FRIEND OF THE EARTH

The critical role these animals play for the environment and take action to protect them.

There are over 1,300 species of bats globally, about one-fifth of all mammals. They belong to the Chiroptera order (which means “winged hands”) and are incredibly specialized mammals. The only ones to have mastered flapping and gliding flight, bats orient themselves in the dark using a sophisticated “biosonar,” a biological echolocation mechanism.

However, this advanced degree of specialization makes bats one of the most vulnerable groups to rapid environmental changes and interaction with human activities. While myths and legends have attributed negative connotations to bats, these fascinating animals are highly valued for the ecological services they provide.

A FUNDAMENTAL ROLE

Bats play a crucial environmental role, representing a vital element for preserving ecosystems worldwide. For example, bat species living in Italy are all insectivorous. They consume enormous quantities of insects, thus helping reduce the impact of pests on agriculture. Each bat can consume up to 2,000 mosquitoes every night! In the United States, it is estimated that bat activity helps save as much as $3.7 billion per year.

Fruit bats, also called flying foxes, live in tropical regions and play an essential role in pollinating numerous plants, including some 450 species of plants used for commercial purposes. They spread the seeds of tree species, facilitating the regeneration of forests, and helping preserve biodiversity by taking these seeds to distant areas.

BATS AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

Bats also play an essential role in medical research, as they are champions of longevity and are particularly resistant to diseases such as cancer. We know that they are frequently associated with different groups of viruses, with which they coexist without getting sick. As for coronaviruses, direct bat-tohuman transmission has not been established to this day; and further research into the anti-inflammatory process in bats could help counteract Covid damage in humans.

THE THREAT OF EXTINCTION

Bat species are in decline globally - about one-third are threatened, with at least 23 facing imminent extinction. For many of them, around 20%, we do not have sufficient data regarding their conservation status. In Italy, 70% of species are considered at risk of extinction!

Many environmental stressors they are exposed to are caused by human activities, such as the destruction of their natural habitat, the widespread use of pesticides, and the direct extermination of individual specimens.

We must act now to stop this dramatic decline.

FRIEND OF THE EARTH CAMPAIGN TO SAVE BATS

Friend of the Earth, a project from the World Sustainability Organization, has been working

for several years to support bat conservation.

The “Save the Bats” conservation campaign focuses on the 23 most threatened species, collecting signatures through a Change. org petition and informing local governments about the critical nature of the problem.

Friend of the Earth also works with selected conservation projects to provide them with support and funding. In 2022, a partnership with the Bat World Sanctuary was established to offer schools educational and awareness-raising activities.

Friend of the Earth promotes sustainable farming practices, certifying environmentally friendly agriculture products that preserve biodiversity to reduce the impact on bat populations.

Bats and bat conservation initiatives will be discussed in the next webinar hosted by Friend of the Earth on Wednesday, April 27, at 3:00 pm CET. The webinar on “Bat conservation status and Friend of the Earth programs. Case Study: Bat World Sanctuary.” will feature Jessica Anderson, Director of Education at the Bat World Sanctuary.

BAT SURVIVAL IS UP TO US For this reason, it’s vital to share correct information. Bats are harmless, extremely useful, critically endangered, and legally protected animals.

What can we do to protect them? First of all, preserve their habitats, create favorable environments in our gardens, install artificial nests (batboxes), and keep our cats indoors, as they are the main bat predators.

For Bat Appreciation Day, besides having a great excuse to rewatch Batman movies, the most famous bat of all, let’s also remember our bat friends by knowing and respecting them.

“The quality of life for humans is directly linked to a healthy global environment, and it takes bats to preserve that environment” (Gary Graham, “Bats of the World”).

E info@friendoftheearth.org D www.friendoftheearth.org T @wso_foe F @friendoftheearthWSO I friendoftheearth_official

NORTHWICH

By Sarah Ridgway

Northwich is a charming market town in Cheshire West and Chester and historically known for its salt production. The town is situated in the centre of the Cheshire Plain where the River Weaver and River Dane meet and has been voted one of the best places to live in the United Kingdom in 2014 by The Sunday Times. A survey in 2020 by Rightmove rated the town as one of the 20 happiest places to live in the country.

The market town is ideally situated for commuters into Manchester and Liverpool with convenient access to its two airports, while still having quick access to the countryside including Tatton Park and Delamere Forest. The Barons Quay opened in 2017 and is an 80-millionpound retail and leisure complex. The complex has a whole host of familiar retailers, coffee shops, restaurants, cinema and is now home to Radio Northwich. The town has a vast choice of supermarkets including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Lidl, and Aldi so all budgets are covered. As you walk through the town you will see a mix of old and new architecture, the historic timber-framed black and white buildings’ blends in with the array of churches, pubs, cafes, modern eateries, and independent shops..

The town has two Grade I listed buildings which are St Helens Church and Winnington Hall and the rest fall under Grade II. The Anglican church of Holy Trinity and the Roman Catholic Church of St Wilfrid are also listed churches. Other listed sites and structures throughout the town include the railway viaduct built for the Cheshire Lines Committee, the wrought iron gates, and gate piers at Verdin Park and the old Plaza cinema. The town has an impressive thirtyfive designated listed buildings in total. Green space includes Marbury Country Park which is situated within Northwich Woodlands with over 1000 acres of wildlife for nature lovers to discover. The town has a theatre, swimming baths, museums and lots of open spaces making it an attractive spot for families. There is a varied choice of property on offer ranging from period properties to brand new developments. The area has a fantastic choice of primary and secondary schools including one of the country’s best private schools, The Grange School at Hartford.

During the Roman times, Northwich was known as Condate, and the Romans had a particular interest in the area due to its salt brines and convenient river crossing.

Salt production in the area dates back over 2000 years and the town is believed to have started producing salt around 1086 as a salt house is referenced in the Domesday Book. The salt industry continued to be an important part of the town’s identity and economy and in the 1670s the salt beds were re-discovered in the town by the Smith-Barry family who were searching for coal. The discovery led to restarting of salt mining and greatly enhanced the prosperity of the town. Salt placed the Cheshire town on the map and resulted in the creation of the Brunner Mond Plant which produced Soda Ash, the plant today is known as Tata Chemicals Europe. As it became increasingly expensive to mine for salt, miners turned to the risky method of pumping hot water through the mines. This method dissolved the salt so it could be extracted from the brine. Many people in the town took it upon themselves to sink a shaft in the hope of finding salt or brine to make a bit of money resulting in the weakening of the mine’s and severe subsidence. Across the town from the late 1800s through to the early 1900s, buildings were destroyed due to subsidence. In 1891 the Brie Subsidence Compensation Act was introduced enabling businesses affected by subsidence to claim compensation for damages. As you wander through Northwich you will see many timber-framed structures, this is a direct result of the subsidence crisis. To combat the issue light-timber framed buildings were constructed for salt mines, the buildings had jacking points in the frames allowing the building to be jacked up if the ground sank. In February 2004 a £28 million programme was started to stabilise the abandoned salt mines underneath the town. The programme was funded by the English Partnerships through their Land Stabilisation programme which was set up to rectify unstable mines throughout the country. The four mines selected in the town were Baron Quay, Witton Bank, Penny’s Lane and Neumanns. These four mine’s subsidiary issues were causing problems in the town centre and millions of litres of brine were removed and replaced with cement, salt, and pulverised fuel ash, this was completed by late 2007.

The Lion Salt Works opened in 2015 and attracts visitors from across the country who want an in-depth and hands-on account of salt production in Northwich. The Lion Salt Works is a £10.23 million pound project creating an open-plan salt making site that has been lovingly restored for public use. The site is one of the country’s lastopen pan salt-making sites and its restored buildings take visitors on a journey through its history in the town and how the salt works and industry helped to shape the economy and landscape of the area.

FAMOUS ALUMNI: JENNIFER SAUNDERS

Jennifer Saunders was born in 1958, her mother was a biology teacher and her father, a pilot in the RAF, he would progress to the rank of group captain and go on to work for British Aerospace. Due to her father’s career in the RAF, the family often had to move around, and Saunders spent the first six years of her life living abroad and attended seven different schools including Northwich Grammar School for Girls, in her autobiography, Bonkers: My Life in Laughs Saunders talks about the school’s feared headmistress, Miss Janet Dines who held strict rule of the school. Saunders recalls the headmistress who was often dressed in a black robe forcing a girl to wash her mouth out with soap and water after accusing her of swearing. After secondary school, Saunders moved to London after winning a place at the Central School of Speech and Drama to train

as a drama teacher. It was here that Jennifer met her future comedy partner Dawn French who coincidentally had also come from an RAF background. Dawn revealed she didn’t initially warm to the “posh” Jennifer Saunders but after being placed in the same flat share the dislike simmered down. After graduating the duo worked the cabaret scene and stand-up circuit and formed a double act called “The Menopause Sisters) which Saunders later recalled as cringy and was not received well.

Success began in the early 1980s when the duo answered an advert in The Stage newspaper looking for female comedians at The Comic Strip. The Comic Strip was part of an alternative comedy scene and up until that point had only had male performers. They were immediately booked due to the novelty of having females on the bill and became Comic Strip members alongside the likes of Rik Mayell, Robbie Coltrane, and Adrian Edmondson. The group gained a cult following and even had the likes of Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, and Dustin Hoffman in the audience.

French was working during the day as a drama teacher while Saunders was on the dole and spent much of the day in bed. The comedy group began to get booked for television appearances and Saunders independently undertook comedy acting roles. In 1987 the duo created French and Saunders for the BBC; the hugely popular comedy sketch series aired until 2007. Jennifer Saunders would go on to find huge success in her own right by writing and starring in Absolutely Fabulous’’ which was based on a French and Saunders sketch called “Modern Mother and Daughter”. The show also starring Joanna Lumley made Saunders an international name and ran for five series over twenty-four years from 1992-to 2016 and included a feature film.

Saunders won a prestigious role in the hugely popular sitcom Friends when it came to the UK for Ross Gellar’s playing Ross’ bride to be Emily’s stepmother. The comedy actress continues to work on stage and screen and is very much involved in Comic Relief and advocates for other charities, both French and Saunders declined an OBE in 2001 but have won many awards including countless BAFTAS. Jennifer is married to Adrian Edmondson, has three daughters and lives at their farm in Devon.

Anderton Boat Lift

The Anderton Boat Lift is a twocaisson lift lock and has been described as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Waterways’’ and is used to transport barges and boats from the River Weaver Navigation to the Trent and Mersey Canal. It won Visit England’s 2018 Large Visitor Attraction of the Year and visitors can marvel at the top-class example of Victorian engineering earning the name the “Cathedral of Canals’’. Britain’s oldest boat lift was built by Edwin Clarke in 1875 and the structure underwent a £7 million restoration in 2000 after lying unused for nearly 20 years. This year plans to restore the structure have been backed by Northwich MP Mike Amesbury, who said the attraction has the untapped potential to be used as an educational facility. Visitors to the attraction can enjoy a 30-minute ride along the canal or the braver few can try Walking the Lift, by climbing to the top of the impressive structure to be rewarded with the panoramic views. There is an adventure playground for the children and even a mock-up of the Anderton’s bridge, control house and mooring area for them to get some hands-on engineering experience. Visitors can finish or start their day in the visitor’s centre and the coffee shop.

THINGS TO DO:

There are plenty of things to see and do in the area, walkers can wander along the River Weaver or head to the stunning Delamere Forest just a 20-minute drive away offering rural trails and paths.

Arley Hall & Gardens is open to the public and was home to Lord and Lady Ashbrook who lived there for over 500 years. Since the 1980s it has been a popular filming location, shows include Peaky Blinders, Coronation Street, and The Voice just to name a few.

Due to demand the hall opened a filming exhibition showcasing images and behind the scenes information about the star-studded filming location. All ages can enjoy a Harry Potter, A Forbidden Forest Experience. The night-time walk through the hall’s woodland is filled with magical creatures and special effects and bringing your own wand is encouraged.

The Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse is housed in the old Northwich Union Workhouse Building and offers an insight into the history and industry of West Cheshire with displays, reconstructions and stories re-told on film.

Shopping: Northwich has a great array of shops and markets, sadly the outdoor market burnt down last year, the fire was so great that eight fire crews were in attendance.

The market has since been demolished with the site hoping to become a community open space. Thankfully the indoor market offered stalls to the outdoor traders affected.

The covered space houses a total of 55 stalls with a variety of local products and services on offer including a butchers, fishmongers, household goods, and a cafe to get a cup of tea.

Northwich Artisan Market takes place on the 2nd Saturday of every month down the main shopping avenue of Witton Street.

The market attracts up to 100 artisan traders with high quality and unique goods to sell and features vintage and antiques, cheesemakers, bakers, painters, and unique homeware.

The town’s calendar is also full of annual community events throughout the year to enjoy such as a Christmas Extravaganza, Northwich Festival of Arts and Now Northwich

 Left: Arley Hall

 Below: Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse