Good afternoon to you all, I hope that your summer crop has been good.
I am in the process of setting up a network of people across the UK to support injured servicemen and women who want to become beekeepers. And I am seeking volunteers to support this.
Let me explain the project.....
Many service personnel as well as having physical injuries from war also suffer from PTSD and beekeeping is an activity that will help that (I won't go into too much detail about this aspect now but just please at this stage accept that point).
I am an ex army officer and I have strong links with H4H and together with a senior member of the the staff at the H4H Tedworth House Recovery Centre in Tidworth Wiltshire I have been working to establish a small apiary and to train staff to look after the apiary throughout the year.
The three colonies at that apiary are doing well and have produced a small crop of honey this year. I have personally trained 5 members of the staff from Tedworth House including a theory course and a days practical at my apiaries near Portsmouth. I have been supported by a good friend from our local association. W have received some discount for the equipment from a Thornes.
Furthermore BJ Sherriff have come on board and have been working with us to design a bespoke bee suit that can be worn by amputees; this is work in progress and we have now got some design templates to manufacture in the next few months.
I will be running the first theory course for wounded & injured service personnel (WIS) at the end of january 2017 and this will be followed by a two day practical course in early May 2017 (dates TBC).
This is where you come in.......
Clearly the WIS will come from around the UK and I want to establish a network of mentors who can make contact with named WIS who live close to them and provide support. Once I have paired you up I would be keen for you to attend one of the two practical days in May at Tedworth House (I will buy you lunch but sadly can't pay travel costs). This will give you an opportunity to meet your mentee and also see fist hand what we have created. However this is not a deal-breaker and there is no pressure on you to do so.
I need you to be an experienced beekeeper but also a person who is not judgmental, who is patient & willing to help someone who may have a range of physical & mental needs. You will also need to be able to pass on your knowledge in a positive manner without making your mentee feel stupid. (please forgive my directness on these requirements but PTSD is a terrible condition and it will deprive a person of their confidence & self esteem and can also affect memory and rational thinking).
So if you are interested please contact me on the e-mail below. I will then create a database of mentors and try to hook people up as we go forward. I will also send you additional detail about the project.
At this stage I cannot be sure how much demand there will be for the courses but initial feeling is that they will be over-subscribed.
Finally, and to be frank, if you are not interested in supporting this that is fine and quite acceptable but I do not want this to attract any unpleasant comments or criticisms that all too often spoils threads on this forum
Thank you for your time
[email protected]
I am in the process of setting up a network of people across the UK to support injured servicemen and women who want to become beekeepers. And I am seeking volunteers to support this.
Let me explain the project.....
Many service personnel as well as having physical injuries from war also suffer from PTSD and beekeeping is an activity that will help that (I won't go into too much detail about this aspect now but just please at this stage accept that point).
I am an ex army officer and I have strong links with H4H and together with a senior member of the the staff at the H4H Tedworth House Recovery Centre in Tidworth Wiltshire I have been working to establish a small apiary and to train staff to look after the apiary throughout the year.
The three colonies at that apiary are doing well and have produced a small crop of honey this year. I have personally trained 5 members of the staff from Tedworth House including a theory course and a days practical at my apiaries near Portsmouth. I have been supported by a good friend from our local association. W have received some discount for the equipment from a Thornes.
Furthermore BJ Sherriff have come on board and have been working with us to design a bespoke bee suit that can be worn by amputees; this is work in progress and we have now got some design templates to manufacture in the next few months.
I will be running the first theory course for wounded & injured service personnel (WIS) at the end of january 2017 and this will be followed by a two day practical course in early May 2017 (dates TBC).
This is where you come in.......
Clearly the WIS will come from around the UK and I want to establish a network of mentors who can make contact with named WIS who live close to them and provide support. Once I have paired you up I would be keen for you to attend one of the two practical days in May at Tedworth House (I will buy you lunch but sadly can't pay travel costs). This will give you an opportunity to meet your mentee and also see fist hand what we have created. However this is not a deal-breaker and there is no pressure on you to do so.
I need you to be an experienced beekeeper but also a person who is not judgmental, who is patient & willing to help someone who may have a range of physical & mental needs. You will also need to be able to pass on your knowledge in a positive manner without making your mentee feel stupid. (please forgive my directness on these requirements but PTSD is a terrible condition and it will deprive a person of their confidence & self esteem and can also affect memory and rational thinking).
So if you are interested please contact me on the e-mail below. I will then create a database of mentors and try to hook people up as we go forward. I will also send you additional detail about the project.
At this stage I cannot be sure how much demand there will be for the courses but initial feeling is that they will be over-subscribed.
Finally, and to be frank, if you are not interested in supporting this that is fine and quite acceptable but I do not want this to attract any unpleasant comments or criticisms that all too often spoils threads on this forum
Thank you for your time
[email protected]
