Bumblebee Conservation Trust need our help again!

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The National Lottery Awards 2010
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Category: Best Environment Project
Funding amount: £49,900
Website: www.bumblebeeconservation.org.uk
Location: UK-wide

In the last 70 years, two bumblebee species have become nationally extinct and many others have declined dramatically. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was founded in 2006 to raise awareness of what Director Dr Ben Darvill calls, “the plight of the bumblebee”. Set up with Lottery funding, which was used to cover running and staff costs, the Trust has grown rapidly. It now has over 6,000 members and its message has reached about 10 million people, Ben estimates, through extensive media coverage and direct outreach work.

Bees are vital to the conservation and diversity of British wildlife as they pollinate fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants. “Without bees,” says Ben, “much of the beauty and richness would be lost and our dinner plates would be very uninspiring.” But thanks to declining populations and habitats, a world without bumblebees is looking more likely.

To raise awareness about bee conservation, and to encourage the public to get involved, the Trust takes its message to events like the Hampton Court Flower Show. With someone dressed as a giant bee to attract children, and information for the adults, its stalls always make an impact. It also works with farmers, land managers and policymakers to improve bumblebee habitats, and gives talks to people interested in making their gardens bee-friendly.

Bumblebee conservation has caught the imagination of the general public, and people volunteer on the Trust’s behalf, giving talks about making your garden attractive to pollinators, or how to identify the different species, helped by an information pack the Trust sends them. “We can’t get everywhere ourselves, so this helps us cover the whole of the UK,” says Ben. A website with tips on bumblebee-friendly habitats also helps spread the message.

Ben says he’s hopeful that the work of the Trust will bring two of the rarer bee species back from the brink of extinction in the next decade. “As for bee happiness in general, if you accept that just 1 per cent of the 300,000 website visitors have done something to improve their gardens, that’s 3,000 more bee-friendly gardens,” he says. “And now people are far more aware of the plight of the bumblebee. Four years ago, many people would never have known bees were in trouble.”

We need your help – can you spare TWO MOUSE CLICKS to help BBCT?
We are semi-finalists in the National Lottery Award Scheme for the best environmental project
Your vote (just two mouse clicks online) will help us to reach the televised awards ceremony! This will raise our profile, attract funders and will in turn allow us to do more to help bees!
PLEASE VOTE: Visit this link!
Please ask friends and family to vote too, and ask them to spread the word!
The web address is:
http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/shortlistitem.cfm?id_category=3&id_entry=110
every little helps !

• 2 Jun, 2010
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