THE Tamar Valley Centre has created a bat cave inhabited by Batley, a bat teddy, to inspire younger visitors to learn more about nocturnal creatures, and more specifically, the Greater Horseshoe Bat.

The event links with this September’s Bat Festival and Devon & Cornwall Rail Partnership’s ‘Bring your Teddy on the Train’ campaign.

Lesley Strong, Tamar Valley AONB Project Officer said: ‘We wanted to do something different to help celebrate greater horseshoe bats and to encourage people to use the train to get here, as it’s only a five-minute walk from Gunnislake station.’

‘Batley’ the teddy is dressed as a greater horseshoe bat, complete with its distinctive horseshoe shaped nose, soft bat ears and wide, folding wings. Children (and adults!) are invited to come and meet Batley at the centre, and to make bat masks or bat hats for themselves and their favourite teddy, cuddly toy or doll.

The exhibition at the Tamar Valley is just one of more than 20 ‘Bat Festival’ events being staged across the area during September. Further details for all the events can be found on the project’s website www.devonbatproject.org/events .