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and BeeWalkers, made contacts with
local flower nurseries, gardening groups
and garden centres, took bookings for
events, talks and training - and generally
spread the love of bumblebees across
the site.
Our biggest thanks need to go to
the local volunteers who worked so
hard before and during the event –

RHS Flower Show Our part in the RHS Show has Photo: Mark Hitchenor sometimes putting in some long shifts
on site – and not forgetting Ewan
without whose
grown each year. This year, as well
Chatsworth as our information stall and seedball- support we wouldn’t
have been able to
making workshops, we were able
get bumblebees into
to showcase our Bee kind tool
demonstrating Bee kind; photo (left): Gill
with a daily demonstration in the people’s hands, and Photo (above): Andy Benson, Education Officer
main Floral Marquee, finishing the from their hands into Perkins, CEO signing the Trust book.
By Rhodri Green, Pollinating the Peak week with an outing of the amazing their hearts. beekind.bumblebeeconservation.org
Community Engagement Officer Bumblebee Education Experience
(B.E.E) on the show’s main stage.
Five days, five talks, five workshops Several hundred people enjoyed the Welcome to our new patrons
and over two and a half thousand Bumblebee Education Experience
people taking up the challenge to ‘Bee and demonstrations of Bee kind, and
kind’ and garden for bumblebees is just more than 2,500 talked to staff and Olly Smith is a multi award-winning broadcaster & wine
scratching the surface of what the RHS volunteers at our stall – mostly about expert, TV personality, author and columnist. He is the
Chatsworth Flower Show is all about for Tree bumblebee nests! Thanks weekly drinks columnist for the Mail on Sunday, regular
our Pollinating the Peak project. to our friends at the Bee Sensory drinks expert on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, presenter on
and Behavioural Ecology Lab at
A flower show is always a great Queen Mary University London, BBC Radio 2 and host of his own drinks podcast ‘A Glass
opportunity to talk bumblebee-friendly we were once again able to display With’ featuring a dazzling array of celebrity guests.
gardening - after all, like bumblebees, a bumblebee nest which always A keen beekeeper himself, Olly is honoured to be a
people attending have one thing on proves a talking point. patron of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
their mind - flowers! So, when the RHS
decided to bring a flower show to our As well as talking bumblebees, Meet Olly Smith
project’s doorstep at Chatsworth House raising funds and giving advice, we Iolo Williams is a Welsh naturalist, broadcaster, public
three years ago, we just had to be signed up new project volunteers speaker and writer who’s worked in conservation for over
there… 30 years and is most widely known as a popular member
of the Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch
Our project has close ties to Chatsworth presenting team.
– as well as funding some work through
the Devonshire Educational Trust, head As someone who is utterly dedicated to conservation,
staff from Chatsworth sit on our steering Iolo has used his knowledge and experience to address
group and act as enthusiastic advocates the Welsh Assembly and is patron of several Welsh
for bumblebee conservation across the conservation organisations. We are delighted Iolo is a
estate. Meet Iolo Williams patron of the Trust.
Photo: Staff engaging with visitors
12 at RHS Chatsworth 13