People and communities
Walsall to become a community of bumblebee champions
Published on
This coming Saturday (20th May 2023) the Bumblebee Conservation Trust will launch ‘Bee Inspired’ a new project aiming to bring people closer to nature in the West Midlands.
The launch will take place at a family fun day at the Butts Community Garden, Walsall between midday and 3pm. Everyone is welcome to the event. Project staff and volunteers will be on site running a stall providing information on bumblebees. Other activities include a bumblebee trail, bumblebee henna, games, bumblebee safaris, and face painting art activities.
Bumblebees are our friendly wild neighbours that rely on green spaces, like parks, gardens and balconies, so they can feed on flowers and make their wild nests. They are important pollinators of wildflowers and many crops that provide us with food to eat such as tomatoes, strawberries and apples.
“ The team are really excited to welcome Walsall residents to the launch at the Butts Community Garden. We want everyone to have fun, learn about our beautiful buzzing wild bumblebees, and go home with simple ideas to help bumblebees in their local area. “
“ I’m pleased about Walsall becoming a community of bumblebee champions. This project will bring people together to appreciate nature and encourage biodiversity across the Borough “
The launch is taking place on the UN designated World Bee day, a global celebration of all bees and pollinating insects, which contribute directly to food security and are also vital to conserving biodiversity across the planet.
The launch is being run with the help of Creative Factory. Ruth Radcliffe, Director at Creative Factory said; "The Butts will be buzzing on Saturday 20th May! Do come and join us for a lovely afternoon and earn all about the fascinating world of bumblebees. There will lots of fun, family friendly activities and delicious refreshments. We can’t wait to see you!"
The Bee Inspired project will run till 2024 and is looking for volunteers to become Bumblebee Champions who will help spread the bumblebee word in Walsall and the surrounding area. The project team will ensure all champions have the confidence to deliver simple guided walks and talks within their community, help build their bumblebee knowledge through training, and provider access to free resources and equipment.
Bee Inspired is funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Many thanks to National Lottery players.
Ends
Notes to editor
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a UK based charity that was established in 2006 due to serious concerns about the ‘plight of the bumblebee’. In the last 80 years many bumblebee populations have crashed and two species have become extinct in the UK. www.bumblebeeconservation.org
More information on the Bee Inspired project https://www.bumblebeeconservation.org/bee-inspired/
Contact details
For further information, images, interviews:
Gurinder Atwal/Carolyn Postlethwaite, Bee Inspired, Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Mob: 07512 307192; Email: beeinspired@bumblebeeconservation.org
Barnaby Smith, Public Engagement Manager, Bumblebee Conservation Trust. Mob: 07519 122570; email: media@bumblebeeconservation.org
Photos and videos
Free to use bumblebee images - species and photographer credit information given in filenames:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18ZUybH_-bp_0yjzDPM0LY943N9xIo55v?usp=share_link
(Be aware that many stock bee images are of honeybees rather than bumblebees)
