Sheffield’s air is abuzz with 2 million honeybees introduced by our Bee Buddies project. The 12 month project set out to address the dramatic decline in UK honey bee numbers over the last few years. The British Beekeepers’ Association estimate that one-third of all honeybee colonies were lost last year, and that if positive action is not taken immediately, Britain’s honeybees will disappear by 2018.

The project introduced 35 new domestic bee hives to the city – situated on Sheffield’s urban spaces including allotments, museums and rooftops to demonstrate that bees can thrive in underused city locations. The hives were used as an educational tool to train a new generation of beekeepers. They were managed by the local community in partnership with Head Beekeeper Jez Daughtry, facilitating knowledge and skills transfer.

The project has delivered over 20 educational events to schools and the local community, engaging over 400 children and 100 adults. The 2-day Introduction to Beekeeping courses attracted a diverse range of attendees now keen to get started with their own hives.
Naz Sukhi attended a 2-day course in May. He stated “The course provided an excellent introduction to beekeeping and allowed me to experience beekeeping firsthand. I can’t wait to get my own hive at home.”

Over 10 local primary schools received education sessions from the Head Beekeeper which included honey tasting and beeswax candle making. The bees provided an excellent way to engage children with environmental issues, including current hot topics such as climate change and the origins of foodstuffs.

Gail Hudson from Springfield School commented “The beekeeping session was a great success, capturing the imagination of pupils and children alike. We have now created a bee friendly area within the school grounds using the bee seed mix produced through the project. The sessions were well delivered and featured engaging activities, and greatly complemented the Eco Schools programme.”

Over 20,000m² of foraging habitat have been planted in Sheffield’s back gardens through the specialist seed mix created as part of the project. This will replace bee habitat lost to development, and help to ensure colonies have enough food stored to survive winter.

The legacy of the project lies in the re-establishment of the Sheffield Beekeepers Association, which will offer long term support and advice to local beekeepers. Educational resources established through the project, including the Pocket Guide to Beekeeping and a Teachers Resource Pack are available on request from Groundwork Sheffield.

The project has delivered using funding from The Cooperative Foundation, Brelms Trust, Restore UK and Weston Garfield Foundation.

Ends

Notes to editor

The Bee Buddies project was delivered by Groundwork Sheffield - An environmental charity aiming to improve Sheffield’s green spaces and engage communities with them.

Groundwork Sheffield is an environmental regeneration charity, operating as a member of the national Groundwork Federation

For more information about the Bee Buddies project, or about Groundwork Sheffield, please contact Anna Cooper on 0114 263 6420 or email anna.cooper@groundwork.org.uk

Plan Bee is a ten-point plan, worth over £500,000, to help reverse the decline of the UK bee population:

1. The Co-operative will continue to engage its five million members to raise awareness about honeybees and their recent decline.
2. A large proportion of the Plan Bee budget has been made available to support research into the demise of the honeybee including research into the effects of pesticides on bees and an expansion the native bee mapping project to including rearing native queen bees to increase the number of native colonies in the UK.
3. The Co-operative Food will continue with its temporarily prohibition on the use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides on own-brand fresh and frozen produce, which was introduced in 2009.
4. The Co-operative Farms is in the second year of a three year trial to develop a wildflower seed mix that will be planted alongside crops on our farms.
5. The Co-operative will continue to support its members and customers to become bee-friendly gardeners, with advice and tips, through the Plan Bee campaign.
6. The Co-operative has given away over 600,000 packets of wild flower seeds to Co-operative members and customers.
7. The Co-operative will continue to make available discounted bee boxes, which provide shelter for solitary bees.
8. The Co-operative will continue to support its members to find out more about amateur beekeeping. We now have urban beekeeping training projects in Manchester, London and Inverness.
9. The Co-operative Farms is again inviting beekeepers to establish hives on its farmland.
10. The Co-operative has produced documentaries on what is happening to bees in the UK and Plan Bee and supported the UK cinema release of ‘Vanishing of the Bees’.

For more information contact:

Dave Smith
PR Manager
0161 827 5614
07702 152771

Lindsay Colbeck
Senior PR Officer
0161 827 5629
07713267499