Key facts
Area: East Midlands
Grant recipient: Rockingham Forest Trust
Project: Hive of Activity
Programme: Awards for All
Date of award: February 2012
Amount awarded: £8,031
In rural Northamptonshire, the bees are claiming back their air space, thanks to a fantastic project at Stanwick Lakes. The Hive of Activity project is taking part in the national drive to save the honey bee. Through a series of taster sessions and educational events volunteers will teach the next generation to value the extraordinary honey bee.
The Big Lottery Fund’s Award for All programme awarded £8,031 to the project run by Rockingham Trust. The money has increased the number of hives to ten, and financed decking to protect the apiary from flooding. It has trained the volunteers to take care of the hives, run community education projects and purchased bee-keeping suits to protect from the odd sting! Finally it has brought a transportable observation hive for outreach events.
Mick McGrath, Head of Region, Big Lottery Fund East Midlands commented on the project: “It is inspiring to see a project that’s objective is to up-skill community volunteers, to transfer skills that can be taken on to other places. The project fits the Awards for All profile perfectly, supporting local education, health and the environment. Thank you to Rockingham Forest Trust for the great work they are doing”
The project’s aims are to help conserve the honey bee, to improve the local flora and improve the delicate habitat around the lake, to further sustain and support local wildlife.
As for the future, the Hive of Activity project aims to become self-sustaining; generating revenue from the honey produced, and we at Big Lottery Fund can confirm, it is delicious!