Four beehives were installed by Webster Honey at Cameron Toll on the roof last summer, and now the shopping centre is going to offer Children’s Honey bee Workshops teaching youngsters about the life cycle of bees.
Taking place this July, three free “drop in” workshops will be held between 11am-4pm on 1,22 and 29 July led by Webster Honey’s experienced beekeeper, Meik Molitor who will bring along a special Observation Hive.
As well as covering the life cycle of the honeybee, each workshop will explore what happens over a year in and around a hive, what role the beekeeper has in looking after the bees, and how honey is extracted and harvested.
Claire Jefcote, Centre Manager of Cameron Toll said: “We were delighted, when last year, we became one of Scotland’s first Shopping Centres to have beehives on its roof. It’s a fantastic initiative to implement for the environment.”
Beehives can be located pretty much anywhere, with honeybees’ nature’s best pollinators, flying for up to 3 miles to pollinate trees, plants and flowers that turn carbon dioxide into oxygen. Within easy reach of Holyrood Park, Hermitage of Braid and Blackford Hill Local Nature Reserve, The Meadows, and even Princes Street Gardens, the Cameron Toll bees have flourished.
“As the hives are on the roof, our customers are unlikely to have seen any bees in the centre itself. Children are fascinated by the whole process, so the workshops are a fantastic opportunity for them to see into a hive and learn lots of fact from Meik,” said Claire.
Meik Molitor said; “I love carrying out workshops and find that there is huge interest in bees at the moment. We’re very grateful to Cameron Toll for doing this, and for their initial sponsorship of the hives last year which enabled us to take our unique honeybee hive concept onto the roof of a busy shopping centre for the very first time. Bees fly over huge distances, connecting with plants and flowers, so it needn’t be a rural environment that hosts them – the important thing is to sponsor a hive and increase our bee population as much as possible.”
Webster Honey has a wide range of affordable packages for businesses of all types and sizes to get involved in hive sponsorship. There are numerous benefits to enjoy, not least your own supply of honey, and the satisfaction that you are doing your bit for the environment and to #savethebees.
“The bees will love it here in this buzzy centre. Meik, our beekeeper will come in on a regular basis to check on them and keep everyone appraised on how they are doing.”
For further details on how Webster Honey works with businesses all over Scotland who want to support sustainable honey, please check out https://www.websterhoney.com/bees-and-your-business.
Details on school & nursery engagement, with Webster Honey carrying out age appropriate lesson plans, can be found at https://www.websterhoney.com/school-classes.
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