Investment in a community apiary at Bankside to increase pollinators in our orchard and pilot a honey microenterprise with young people with additional support needs.
Description
Bankside Community Orchard was previously a market garden, and has been maintained by a small staff time and an army of local volunteers since 1985, when the market garden business closed. Keen to ensure that the orchard, which contains many heritage species of fruit, was not lost, local people came together to keep it properly looked after, and we now host an annual cider pressing event where we also sell jams, chutneys and other produce from the site.
We have seen the impact of the last few years on our orchard community's collective wellbeing, as people deal with the impact of the pandemic and ongoing cost of living crisis. This has been particularly challenging for our Rooted At Bankside group, which is for 16-25 year olds with additional support needs, and works with them to develop their confidence and employability skills as they make the transition between education and further study or the world of work. The familiar structures and routines these young people had in place pre-pandemic have completely changed, and the importance of routine, consistency and community has never been greater as they navigate stepping into adulthood and increased independence.
The group have been working together over the last few months to look at some potential new projects, and after a talk from a local beekeeper, their interest in the potential of an apiary was ignited! With climate change impacting the pollinators who are so important to our orchard, introducing hives into the space will be a welcome boost to bee numbers in the area. In addition, some of the Rooted at Bankside members have previous experience of working with bees while at school, and are keen to share their knowledge and get the opportunity to put their skills to good use while also generating some money through the sale of honey and beeswax products, which can be reinvested into the group's development moving forwards. We have been cultivating a wildflower meadow at one end of the site and researching seasonal food sources for honeybees, which we are developing as part of our ongoing work at the site.
To help us get the project - which we're calling 'Honey Makes The World Go Round' - off the ground, we're looking for support to set up a community apiary, including:
3 hives
Safety equipment for our young people and staff
Membership costs for the local beekeeping association
Honey extractor equipment
Some basic equipment to produce honey and other products e.g. moulds and jars
Most voted