As members of Shipston Beekeepers, Paul and I participated in helping at Shipston’s first Great Big Green Week Family Trail. This was just one of the events that Stourvale Action For the Environment (SAFE) was organising as part of the UK’s Great Big Green Week celebration.
One of the bases, of which there was six in total, was at St Edmund’s Church. The back of the church yard is a haven for wildlife and it is where Shipston Beekeepers have an ‘out-Apiary’ of the Training Apiary that we set up following a request from the Church a couple of years ago (you can read more about it on our Community Apiary Project page).
It was a free event to promote how we can all help to work with nature to save and restore our planet Earth. Children and families were encouraged to take part in a bee quiz, following a trail around the churchyard, finding the answers.
Paul and I had a stand on behalf of Shipston Beekeepers to promote all things bees which, as you all know, along with all pollinators are essential to a healthy environment. We highlighted the threat of the Asian Hornet and encouraged the public to download the App.
We suggested to families and children to plant flowers rich in nectar to help Britain’s bees and create bee-friendly communities. We managed to sell some of our honey too, and explained to people that buying local honey supports our honeybees and their beekeepers!
It was a very well attended event. We had over 100 visitors to the stand, including many young families, groups from the Rainbow and Brownie movement and John Dinnie, Shipston’s Town Mayor accompanied by the local Town Cryer!
Words and photos Julia and Paul Neal