Page 11 - Bumblebee Conservation Trust Buzzword magazine winter 2020

Don’t hibernate This year has been a challenging one for many people. In April, we launched
#bumblebeeart on social media, in which I also took up the challenge! We had
this winter! hundreds of people post their art during the lockdown period. It was inspiring to see
the creativity created by so many people, in so many different mediums, and from
people of all ages.
By Claire Wales, Individual Fundraising Manager We hope you enjoy just a few of these #bumblebeeart pictures and feel inspired to
perhaps create your own this winter.
At last, our queen bumblebees are fast asleep. They Remember, don’t hibernate this winter, get buzzing and beat the winter blues.
were incredibly busy during September and October.
Once mated, the new queens fed heavily on pollen Ashlie Gash
and nectar, storing the energy as fat inside their
bodies to sustain them during their long hibernation.
Then they found a suitable space underground
to hibernate until next spring, when the warming
temperatures will tempt them out, and set in motion a Denny Webb
new season of buzzing loveliness.
The winter can be very difficult for some of us Laura Yvonne Gaitens
humans. Often, we don’t want to interact and prefer
to go into our own mini-hibernation. It’s thought Claire Wales
the ‘winter blues’, or Seasonal Affective Disorder
(SAD), affects around two million people in the UK.
It can affect people of any age, including children. I Sophie Baker #bumblebeeart
personally suffer from SAD, and it can be a battle to Gabbi Simpson
stay positive.
However; there are lots we can do to help ourselves Belinda Biggs
through the long winter. Even in the short days, Barnaby Smith Laura Steel
research has shown that a daily one-hour walk in
the middle of the day is hugely beneficial. If that is
too much, simply sitting in a park or in a garden can
help. If it is hard for you to get out, try and sit near
windows whenever you can, to access some natural
light. Bernadette Michelle Dunthorne
Those seemingly endless evenings can give us
an opportunity to be creative. Keeping your mind
active with a new interest seems to help to ward off
symptoms of SAD. Take up a new hobby; or revisit Vicki Harrison Hayley Gaitskell Kate Fairbairn
an old one. Learn about bumblebees so you can
enjoy them more when they emerge, with you, in the Don’t struggle alone. If you need further support, the following
spring. are excellent organisations who can assist:

Photos: Top: hibernating Buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus Caroline Kirlew Mind Infoline: 0300 123 3393 (info@mind.org.uk)
terrestris), queen; middle and bottom: walking in the The Samaritans: 116 123 freephone (samaritans.org)
winter sunshine exploring nature
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