We have had various groups of volunteers from Companies coming along to give us their time and energy to look after the Bee Sanctuary. One group from Avanti West Coast, also to help with educating schools and community about Bees, Biodiversity, and Nature restoration.
Fitch, was the first company to come and volunteer. It was a group of people who had never met each other because they had to work from home in lock-down, and we really sensed their eagerness to meet colleagues. We provided them with a beautiful outdoor space that they could help look after, and they have repaid us with a lot of hard graft and also a generous donation.. They have helped us to open up the space, re-chip the paths, and build a Bee Hotel. Fitch come regularly, and we may give them their own space to develop.
Geoff from Avanti West Coast approached us last year to work with them to celebrate May 23rd, World Bee Day on the Bee Sanctuary. It was a brilliant event where they brought along 4 schools that they engage with, and we both provided activities, including Seed Bomb making, Art workshops, tours, and talks. The partnership has developed from there, and we hope that they will use the Bee Sanctuary to introduce more young people to Nature….
“Avanti West Coast Community & Sustainability Champions from Stockport & Manchester have chosen the Bee Sanctuary as their local nominated charity. Part of the remit of the champions roles is to engage in their local communities in areas where Avanti operates. Responsibilities of the role include an active schools engagement programme including helping primary schools deliver a young engineering project, raising awareness of rail safety, offering careers advise & partnerships with sustainable projects that offer benefit to the communities they serve. We are proud of our continued partnership with the Bee Sanctuary & look forward to many more events over the coming years. “ Geoff from Avanti.
Booking.com are relative newcomers and with their interest stretching into the future , we are working together on ideas to expand our management for biodiversity into the woodland and onto the main Highfield meadow. Watch this space.
Fitch gave us a generous donation, Avanti West Coast is raising money for us at their train stations, and Booking.com have provided tools and donations to cover running expenses for the charity. None of these companies have demanded publicity for their volunteer work with us, but we want to say how important their support has been. Thanks to their energy we can expand our horizons, and thanks to financial support as well as individual donations we were able to pay for a large portion of our Volunteer Centre, and renovate the vandalised ponds, as well as pay for routine expenses like insurance and website hosting etc.