David's Bat Blog: The old bat is back - PLEASE back the old bat!

Many moons ago, when I was first getting into bats, several people inspired me to try to make a difference in bat conservation. One of those was Anne Youngman, the irrepressibly enthusiastic Scottish Officer of the Bat Conservation trust. Although Anne has now retired you can't keep a good'un down and I'm delighted that Anne agreed to write a guest blog about her fund-raising efforts.

PS - I accept no blame for the title!

Hello, my name is Anne Youngman and I’m going to run a marathon. Well, “running” might not be quite the right word, let me re-phrase that. I’m going to…. gently jog… a marathon.

That might not sound very exciting but wait ……...it’s not just any old marathon but ………. Pause for dramatic effect. Its going to be ….

Do Do do Do Do DOOOO…… Fanfare of golden trumpets ….

MY FIRST EVER MARATHON….

Ta Da!! applause, more fanfares of golden trumpets, possibly followed by ambulance sirens!

And why, you may ask, I am going to run a marathon?

That’s a batty good question. I’m old, I’m creaky, I should know better, but, I have at least three good reasons.

First and foremost. To raise funds for the Bat Conservation Trust, a cause dear to my heart.
It’s a personal challenge to myself
It’s a great excuse for a picnic and lots of cake.

Why do I want to help The Bat Conservation Trust? I love bats, I love seeing them flitting about in the night sky, I love hearing them on a bat detector. I want my grandchildren to grow up in a world that’s beautiful and where bats are part of a healthy thriving natural environment. That’s what BCTs work is all about. I’d like to tell you much much more about the Bat Conservation Trust but they do SO much, I know I can’t even begin to do them justice. But here’s a brief flavour of some of it. BCT:

run a Helpline which deals with thousands of calls every year,

run survey programmes for volunteers (which I have really enjoyed taking part in)

produce educational resources,

deliver training to audiences which range from bat carers to planners to Police Wildlife Crime Officers.

To summarise – BCT is a small charity doing an excellent job with limited funds. They are a bit like the creatures they strive to protect, small, often overlooked and very beneficial. They really DO deserve our support.

After retiring – what did this old bat did next?

I worked for BCT as their Scottish Officer for 15 very happy years until I retired in 2017. Although I have retired, I still want to “do my bit” for bat conservation.

I decided to get fit. I started Couch to 5 K, actually I started it 4 times before I eventually got through the whole programme. For those of us who still think “in old money” 5 K (five kilometres) is just over three miles.

After Couch to 5k it was Park-runs

Then I did something really brave (for me). I joined the local Triathlon club. Now I’m a Super Veteran Triathlete!!!! (Please, do feel free to cheer and whoop as you read this.)

Even I am impressed by the sound of it. However, all it really means is;

I’m old
I can swim
I can cycle
I can gently jog

And

I can do these three activities one after the other.
I don’t do them fast; I don’t do them elegantly. I’m not a natural athlete by any means, but I reckon I’m one of the world’s best plodders.

I set myself a target of doing a half marathon in 2020 (DONE- Hurrah) and a full marathon in 2021. When I saw The Bat Conservation Trust’s Facebook post asking for volunteer marathon runners it felt “meant to be”.

So here I am, doggedly plodding my way through a 24 week “Couch to Marathon” training plan (and praying I won’t get injured.)

Running a marathon will be a huge personal challenge.

Have I mentioned

I’m old
Creaky
And have never run a marathon before?

Oh! I did mention it, sorry, at my age I get a bit forgetful.

Cake

I mentioned a picnic and lots of cake. I’ll say more about these once I have explained the route …

The route I have cunningly planned my marathon along the towpath of the Union and Forth and Clyde canals (in Scotland), starting at Ryal and ending at the Kelpies. This route has the advantages of;

1. Being FLAT (apart from one DOWNHILL section at the Falkirk wheel)

2. There should be no cars to worry about.

3. It has wonderful bat habitat

4. It has some inspiring features (colourful bings, sky high aqueducts, a long spooky tunnel, the occasional Palace, the Falkirk Wheel and the amazing Kelpie sculptures)

And last but not least

5. Its a place dear to many bat workers because of the Bats and the Millennium Link Project (BaTML).

PICNIC and CAKE – so where does a picnic and (lots of) cake fit in?

As it’s a virtual London marathon there won’t be crowds of supporters cheering me along the route or over the finishing line. Pity, I will need the motivation. So, my second cunning plan is to invite everyone who; lives nearby, likes bats, likes cake, likes picnics to come along to the Kelpies (If COVID restrictions allow) with a picnic around 3pm on Sunday 3 October to cheer me over the finishing line.

I am fondly imagining little kids running along side me in their bat man capes (with Chariots of Fire music in the background!).