Bats do hibernate as there is very little food available for them in wintertime.
Caves and hollow trees are typical shelters for them.
We have had bats here in the urban west midlands for as long as I can remember. In May the females are looking for suitablle nesting sites.
Most of the bats in my garden are pipistrelles, a very common bat. (Nothing posh about us!)
Now we've had a few warmer days we should be seeing a lot more of them.
If you have any kind of nature park near you see if they do bat safaris. A lovely, interesting evening for adults as well as children.