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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| How to set up a beekeeping group | How to set up a beekeeping group |
| (7 days later) | |
| 11: BeeUrban | 11: BeeUrban |
| Age: 6 years | Age: 6 years |
| Location: Kennington Park, London | Location: Kennington Park, London |
| Why it started | Why it started |
| BeeUrban was founded by Barnaby Shaw. “I started beekeeping as a hobby. My dad had bees when I was younger so he had some of the kit, I could see how bees and horticulture go hand in hand and I wanted to get my dad beekeeping again … that’s how it started, I guess. I set up projects in London, generating places for horticulture and I founded BeeUrban to formalise them. Keeper’s Lodge in Kennington has become our hub.” | BeeUrban was founded by Barnaby Shaw. “I started beekeeping as a hobby. My dad had bees when I was younger so he had some of the kit, I could see how bees and horticulture go hand in hand and I wanted to get my dad beekeeping again … that’s how it started, I guess. I set up projects in London, generating places for horticulture and I founded BeeUrban to formalise them. Keeper’s Lodge in Kennington has become our hub.” |
| Shaw found disused park space and secured it through Ladbroke Park officers. “It’s been leased to us on the agreement that we do community outreach work, so for the last three years for three days a week we have hosted volunteer days and they keep growing in size. It’s about improving the space and getting the community together.” | Shaw found disused park space and secured it through Ladbroke Park officers. “It’s been leased to us on the agreement that we do community outreach work, so for the last three years for three days a week we have hosted volunteer days and they keep growing in size. It’s about improving the space and getting the community together.” |
| What they do | What they do |
| BeeUrban run regular classes and workshops teaching life skills and gardening alongside beekeeping. “Bees help us to talk about the importance of pollination with children in a very accessible language. It is a really useful tool to help engage groups from inner-city life. At the moment we have been harvesting, so we’ve got honey and wax. Our Thursday projects have been geared around candle making.” | BeeUrban run regular classes and workshops teaching life skills and gardening alongside beekeeping. “Bees help us to talk about the importance of pollination with children in a very accessible language. It is a really useful tool to help engage groups from inner-city life. At the moment we have been harvesting, so we’ve got honey and wax. Our Thursday projects have been geared around candle making.” |
| How many people are involved? | How many people are involved? |
| About 10-20 people are involved regularly and help out weekly. They are mainly local supporters. | About 10-20 people are involved regularly and help out weekly. They are mainly local supporters. |
| Does the group get funding? | Does the group get funding? |
| No, most of the money comes from selling bee by-products and some additional financial support comes from contracted beekeeping work that Shaw does around London. | No, most of the money comes from selling bee by-products and some additional financial support comes from contracted beekeeping work that Shaw does around London. |
| What would they like to do next? | What would they like to do next? |
| Produce from the bees are a vital source of revenue for BeeUrban so finding more people that want to buy into sustainable, locally produced honey is something they are pursuing. “It could be a lucrative business selling bee products from London bees because it’s unusual. London wax is something we aim to sell to create revenue. We do a lot of outreach promotional work to get London based shops, cafes and restaurants using our honey and we are always on the lookout for more outlets. Word of mouth usually means people find out about our product but when it comes to justifying to costs to a potential buyer it can be really tough; the true costs are higher than supermarkets.” | Produce from the bees are a vital source of revenue for BeeUrban so finding more people that want to buy into sustainable, locally produced honey is something they are pursuing. “It could be a lucrative business selling bee products from London bees because it’s unusual. London wax is something we aim to sell to create revenue. We do a lot of outreach promotional work to get London based shops, cafes and restaurants using our honey and we are always on the lookout for more outlets. Word of mouth usually means people find out about our product but when it comes to justifying to costs to a potential buyer it can be really tough; the true costs are higher than supermarkets.” |
| What can you do to help? | What can you do to help? |
| BeeUrban encourages volunteers to get involved in the project, offering training to bee newbies not only in beekeeping but also environmental issues, life skills, candle making, job skills and gardening. Regular volunteering events run throughout the year for those looking for a way to get stuck into honey making “We teach a bit of mentoring and keeping so that hopefully they can go on to successfully keep a hive of their own.” | BeeUrban encourages volunteers to get involved in the project, offering training to bee newbies not only in beekeeping but also environmental issues, life skills, candle making, job skills and gardening. Regular volunteering events run throughout the year for those looking for a way to get stuck into honey making “We teach a bit of mentoring and keeping so that hopefully they can go on to successfully keep a hive of their own.” |
| How do I go about setting something like this up in my area? | How do I go about setting something like this up in my area? |
| Tim Lovatt of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) says: “Beekeeping is always more fun when doing it in a group. It’s important to have mentors, people who show you the way. First learn the theories, but then you also need to put it into practice. Do make sure that you equip yourself with knowledge and safety gear before you equip yourself with bees and hives because it can go wrong – but it’s less likely it will go wrong if you’re properly trained.” BBKA represents the amateur beekeepers in England. They offer training, advice, discussion forums, learning material and courses to their members. Just look up your regional association and get in touch. | Tim Lovatt of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) says: “Beekeeping is always more fun when doing it in a group. It’s important to have mentors, people who show you the way. First learn the theories, but then you also need to put it into practice. Do make sure that you equip yourself with knowledge and safety gear before you equip yourself with bees and hives because it can go wrong – but it’s less likely it will go wrong if you’re properly trained.” BBKA represents the amateur beekeepers in England. They offer training, advice, discussion forums, learning material and courses to their members. Just look up your regional association and get in touch. |
| If you prefer to learn from slightly more bohemian beekeeping masters, they can be found through grassroots organisations and forums across the country. The Barefoot Beekeeper, Phil Chandler, and his network has advice about how to get started and runs courses in various locations. | If you prefer to learn from slightly more bohemian beekeeping masters, they can be found through grassroots organisations and forums across the country. The Barefoot Beekeeper, Phil Chandler, and his network has advice about how to get started and runs courses in various locations. |
| Friends of the Bees has created this map that you can use to get in touch with other people or groups also curious or already involved in beekeeping. And there is useful information here from Sustainable Bungay about setting up a community beekeeping group. | Friends of the Bees has created this map that you can use to get in touch with other people or groups also curious or already involved in beekeeping. And there is useful information here from Sustainable Bungay about setting up a community beekeeping group. |
| Luke Dixon of the Urban Beekeeping group says: “There are few more pleasurable pastimes, especially in the city, than keeping bees. At Urban and Community Beekeeping we have set up groups in the offices of international legal firms, at the London School of Economics and the London College of Fashion, with the gardening club of Marks & Spencer and at youth projects across London. Doing this in a group can give confidence, share expertise, spread the cost of equipment, support each other when the season is busy, when the bees are swarming, and when there is honey to harvest. With a hive of 60,000 bees the more eyes the better to spot the queen and keep a check on things.” | Luke Dixon of the Urban Beekeeping group says: “There are few more pleasurable pastimes, especially in the city, than keeping bees. At Urban and Community Beekeeping we have set up groups in the offices of international legal firms, at the London School of Economics and the London College of Fashion, with the gardening club of Marks & Spencer and at youth projects across London. Doing this in a group can give confidence, share expertise, spread the cost of equipment, support each other when the season is busy, when the bees are swarming, and when there is honey to harvest. With a hive of 60,000 bees the more eyes the better to spot the queen and keep a check on things.” |
| “My advice to anyone wanting to set up an apiary of your own would be to get in touch with local beekeepers to get as much advice and knowledge as possible. Choose a good site and think about what plants and flowers you have in your neighborhood when choosing the type of bee.” | “My advice to anyone wanting to set up an apiary of your own would be to get in touch with local beekeepers to get as much advice and knowledge as possible. Choose a good site and think about what plants and flowers you have in your neighborhood when choosing the type of bee.” |
| The BeeUrban project supports and is supported by other bee organisations. “We are a part of Capital Bee, we support these groups and help train other people. Dr BeeHive support us because we supply them with information on our bees so they can track bee numbers around the UK. I write up a news update for them. Sometimes the British Beekeepers Association will pay for materials we need at events where we run activities along side them. We were on ITV’s This Morning recently which shows just how much interest there is in our bees.” | The BeeUrban project supports and is supported by other bee organisations. “We are a part of Capital Bee, we support these groups and help train other people. Dr BeeHive support us because we supply them with information on our bees so they can track bee numbers around the UK. I write up a news update for them. Sometimes the British Beekeepers Association will pay for materials we need at events where we run activities along side them. We were on ITV’s This Morning recently which shows just how much interest there is in our bees.” |
| So far in this series ... | So far in this series ... |
| 1. The community supported farm | 1. The community supported farm |
| 2. The bike repair co-operative | 2. The bike repair co-operative |
| 3. The community garden centre | 3. The community garden centre |
| 4. The community forest | 4. The community forest |
| 5. The meat-rearing collective | 5. The meat-rearing collective |
| 6. The owl conservation group | 6. The owl conservation group |
| 7. The neighbours’ community group | 7. The neighbours’ community group |
| 8. The beer-growing group | 8. The beer-growing group |
| 9. The Solar Schools project | 9. The Solar Schools project |
| 10. The community clothes swap | 10. The community clothes swap |
| This article is part of the Live Better Community Project month. In September, we are showcasing 17 community projects from around the UK. We are asking you to vote for your favourite project. The project with the most votes will be awarded £1,000 of funding, and two runners-up will each receive funding of £500. One voter chosen at random will receive £150 worth of gift vouchers for Nigel’s Eco Store. Terms and conditions here. | |
| With thanks to: 10:10; FOE; Project Dirt; Neighbourly; UK Community Foundations; Groundwork; Business in the Community; Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens; the Prince’s Trust; Garden Organic; the Royal Horticultural Society; the RSPB; Keep Wales Tidy; The Wildlife Trusts; and Mind. | With thanks to: 10:10; FOE; Project Dirt; Neighbourly; UK Community Foundations; Groundwork; Business in the Community; Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens; the Prince’s Trust; Garden Organic; the Royal Horticultural Society; the RSPB; Keep Wales Tidy; The Wildlife Trusts; and Mind. |
| Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month’s Live Better challenge here. | Interested in finding out more about how you can live better? Take a look at this month’s Live Better challenge here. |
| The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. | The Live Better Challenge is funded by Unilever; its focus is sustainable living. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here. |