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British Waterways Pilots Community Bee Keeping

Following the publication of a report from the British Beekeepers Association showing that Britain's bee colonies are suffering unsustainably high losses, BW is looking at how land adjoining its canals and rivers can be used for community beekeeping.

BW has teamed up with Arts for Places to install hives along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Liverpool for the local community to adopt. Bees are estimated to be worth around £200m to the UK economy each year as they pollinate many of the food crops grown here, such as apples and oilseed rape. In recent years they have been hit by agricultural changes, which have reduced the availability of the wildflowers that are so important in providing food for the insects.

Over 20 local residents from Liverpool and Sefton trained as beekeepers as part of the project with the Arts for Places scheme. Now ten residents have joined Southport Beekeepers Association to maintain the hives on land adjoining the canal. Working with local beekeeper Margaret Murdin and artist Kerry Morrison, the community beekeepers will care for five beehives situated between Litherland and Eldonian Village in Liverpool.

Dr Mark Robinson, national ecology manager for British Waterways and beekeeper comments: “The UK’s canals, rivers and reservoirs act as green corridors and safe havens for many species. Our honey bees are under threat and are in need of good habitat. By installing hives on the land adjoining our canals and rivers, British Waterways is providing a safe environment for bees to thrive.

"It is important to engage local people in these schemes and we look forward to working with Arts for Places and the Liverpool community to make this a success, with a view to rolling out the idea across more of our network in future.”

Tim Lovett, president of British Beekeepers Association said: “Here is an imaginative initiative, which exploits a latent asset and involves the community in a meaningful project – there is great potential for future growth and provision of all too rare apiary sites.”

Paul Kelly, housing market renewal public realm manager said: “The Art for Places Project in Sefton is engaging with residents on a number of projects centred around the Leeds & Liverpool Canal ahead of a spectacular moveable artistic structure being built there. Introducing honeybees to the area is an exciting part of this initiative and will hopefully go some way to help keep them sustainable, as well as offer people living there the skills to look after them.”

Source British Waterways
21/10/09