The Bee Centre, Chorley

Having recently got bees at our primary school we attended the introduction to beekeeping course a few days ago and I am still absolutely buzzing. The course was totally amazing and full of facts about these fabulous creatures. Kath and Simon are brilliant and explain everything so well. I came home with millions of things to tell the kids and spending hours looking through different hives totally gave me the confidence to look after our hive properly. I loved the 'think like a bee' approach to beekeeping and it really does help in predicting the next steps for the colony. Reading a hive like a book showed that you can work out the health of the animals and how to keep them healthy. I loved the whole day so much and could've have easily spent a week with these fascinating creatures and indeed Kath and Simon! What a privilege. Thanks guys

Getting up close and personal to some extraordinary black bees in the heart of Lancashire was a birthday treat from my family. What a treat it was too. Our hosts for the morning were the brilliant Simon and Kath, whose passion for their bee families and hives is infectious. They are clearly motivated to spend time engaging and working with their visitors to promote sustainable pollination. We kicked off with a brief and fun introduction on what to expect, and were kitted out with our trendy bee keeper outfits and wellies. The hives are just a short walk up the lane, where we spent a good while taking the hive apart and watching these extraordinary insects going about their daily buzzyness whilst seemingly mooching around the hive - they work pretty hard it turns out, in all sorts of jobs during their lifetime, from nursing through to disposing of their dead buddies. We even witnessed one little baby bee popping out of it’s birthing pod. We left our little friends to their work, popped the lid back on and headed back for the honey tasting experience. Simon gave us more information about honey made from different nectar sources and ethical production. A lovely way to relax in the Lancashire sunshine. I found the whole experience humbling, and probably one of the best things I’ve done in a long while. Go do it guys, and see for yourself what an amazing contribution bees make to our communities and environment. You won’t be disappointed. Oh, and the gin distillery next door is pretty good too! I’ll be back!