A TINY furry creature, that only comes out at night and hangs upside down, proved to be a big attraction for around 300 tree cutters who attended a special two-day tree forum.

Learning how to protect bats, spotting signs of their habitat, and seeing several permanently captive Pipistrelle bats close up, attracted many delegates attending the third successful UK Power Networks Tree Forum for staff and tree contractors. 

The company spends £24 million every year trimming trees and vegetation away from overhead power lines, to keep electricity supplies reliable for local communities across the south east and east of England. 

The forum was held at Orsett Hall in Essex and contained a mixture of indoor and outdoor events, with several practical demonstrations designed to help share best practice. An introduction to the protected species was led by Ella Gibbs, senior ecological consultant with Essex County Council.

There was standing room only during her talks across the two days. 

She said: “They were all keen to come up afterwards, ask questions and see the bats close up.”

Another popular stand with staff and contractors was devoted to neurodiversity. UK Power Networks’ neurodiversity ally Ian Bowden said: “It went really well. On both days there was a steady flow of people asking questions. Some had been diagnosed a long time ago, others were interested in getting more information and resources for home or work.”

Ella Gibbs, senior ecological consultant with Essex County Council.Ella Gibbs, senior ecological consultant with Essex County Council. (Image: PR)

Tree cutter Salsa Juhasz from NRE Services in Maidstone said: “It was very informative and enjoyable. It gets better every year. The drama session based on health and safety was fantastic and kept it interesting.”

Neil Reekie, a quality supervisor from UK Power Networks, added: “It was good to get the team together and for them to see different things and have other contractors to share ideas with.”