Did you know that there are around 270 species of bees here in the UK?

Did you know that weather, climate, weather extremes, loss of habitat, environment are some of the reasons bees are under pressure?

As pollinators, bees play a part in every aspect of the ecosystem. They support the growth of trees, flowers, and other plants, which serve as food and shelter for creatures large and small. Bees contribute to complex, interconnected ecosystems that allow a diverse number of different species to co-exist.

Working with Simon and Kath from The Bee Centre - a multi-award-winning centre of excellence for bee-related education, we recently installed three hives at one of our sites in Lancashire.

To support our sustainability agenda, in 2023 The Senator Group are focusing on Net Zero, Circular Economy and Biodiversity. We are hoping to implement projects that will have a long term, positive outcome on our natural world, and this is just one example of initiatives being delivered to support our sustainability strategy.

Right now, we have 30,000 locally bred honeybees in these hives - this number could grow to an amazing 60,000 per hive during the summer months! By improving local honeybee numbers, we help the UK to reduce reliance on the importation of unsuitable honeybee breeds and potential pests and diseases.

These hives are the first phase of a larger pollinator garden that will support and enhance biodiversity, create habitat for not only honey bees but also other species of bees and pollinators. It will also allow us to further collaborate with The Bee Centre to deliver education about bees and their importance to our social, economic and environmental wellbeing.

"Working with businesses like The Senator Group is a key way of developing a robust, native honeybee population. Not only are we installing more beehives which demonstrably increases the number of honeybees in the local area, but we are also supporting the education and awareness regarding honeybees and the wider diversity of bee species and habitats in the UK, which provides longer term, sustained growth for this project. We’re very excited to be at the start of this relationship with The Senator Group.”

The Bee Centre

"I’m so proud that we’ve been able to deliver this project. Alongside our tree planting scheme, this initiative represents the company’s commitment to improving biodiversity. Protecting our bees is especially important as we face the climate emergency. If action is not taken, pollinator declines will have serious implications for biodiversity, food production and ornamental gardens, so it’s a real honour to work with The Bee Centre."

Lianne Smith, ‪Group IMS and Sustainability Manager at The Senator Group

This project provides opportunity for:

Colleague participation: To ensure the continued success of this project, we are training employees to become beekeepers, responsible for taking care of our bees with the unwavering support of The Bee Centre.

Schools Engagement: We are planning education programs with local schools, that link our focus on biodiversity with our commitment to improving sustainability knowledge and education of young people in our local area.

Inspiration: We will work with The Bee Centre to inspire other businesses to support local bee species. We are always looking for clients and suppliers that we can collaborate with on sustainability projects, and will happily provide demonstrations and introductions to The Bee Centre team to support similar project implementations.

Honey: The tastiest benefit of this project is locally produced honey, and although we will never take too much from the bees, honey provides a huge range of benefits to our health and wellbeing… providing antioxidants, supporting the immune system, and helps us to fight against hayfever, to name a few!

Charity Support: Selling the honey produced from local hives to our employees, will also help us to raise much-needed funds for our chosen charity partners, St Cathrines Hospice and Derian House.

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Bee Kind to the Future