Bee Kind Week - The Bumblebee Conservation Trust

Formed just over a decade ago, the Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a charity committed to supporting and raising awareness for the plight of bees. In this guest blog, find out about their vital work and we we’re joining forces for the UK’s first ever Bee Kind Week…

Bumblebees are iconic, charismatic, furry insects that play a vital role in the lives of us all, by pollinating our crops and wildflowers, acting as a useful and powerful indicator of the health of our environment and bringing joy to those who watch them hurriedly buzzing from flower to flower. However, since the 1940’s we have lost 98% of our flower-rich meadows – leaving bumblebees hungry and homeless, and causing populations to plummet.

Our link with Camping in the Forest for the UK’s first Bee Kind Week, was an easy and natural one to make. Camping outside, immersing yourself in nature, even for just a few days gives some of the best chances to spot some of the UK’s spectacular wildlife, including our precious pollinators. As a charity, we rely on the generosity of others to help us raise awareness of the plight of the bumblebee, and having the chance to engage with schools, and nature-loving members of the public for Bee Kind Week (also backed by the one and only Chris Packham!) is invaluable for us in order to spread our important message.

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was established in 2006 to address the worrying declines in the UK’s bumblebee populations. We are a national charity with over 10,000 members and 500 volunteers with exciting projects in Kent, Derbyshire, Devon, West Wales and Scotland. With 11 fantastic years already behind us, we have been working with landowners and farmers to create bumblebee-friendly habitat (over 3,000 hectares to date) and raised over £4 million for bumblebee conservation. We have achieved this through engaging local communities through events, competitions, workshops, bumblebee ID training, and visiting schools to increase understanding of bumblebees and their environmental and economic benefits; but there’s plenty more to do to achieve our vision of communities and countryside rich in bumblebees and wildflowers for everyone to enjoy!

We can’t wait to see the photos of all of your buzzing Bee Kind Week activities, and the generous £500 donation Camping in the Forest will provide on behalf of the winner of the ‘Bella the Bee goes camping’ school competition will help us continue our vital conservation efforts to save our fuzzy friends.

The link to donate to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust can be found below. Find out how you can do your bit to help the nation’s bees in more practical ways in our Bee Kind Week blog.

Donate to The Bumblebee Conservation Trust