Hive sponsorship advice needed.

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Queen Bee
Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
6,344
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Location
Hampshire uk
Hive Type
National
Number of Hives
6
This is a copy of an email I received this afternoon.

Can anyone advise ?


======================================

Dear Sir or Madam,
I recently lost my Grandparents and have been trying to think of an appropriate memorial for them. As my Grandad loved honey and My Nanna loved lavendar, the immediate thought that came to my mind was to sponsor a beehive in their name (or part of one). I know there are numerous schemes to do this, but I can't seem to find a local one in Devon or Cornwall. I am writing to enquire whether you have such a scheme, would be willing to start one, know of one or can give me any advice. I was hoping for a scheme in which a jar or two of honey were given as part of the sponsorship, as i would like to gift these to my mum and uncle, also in my grandparents names.

I would be grateful for any advice and thank you for your time.

Yours faithfully
Name removed by admin
 
Not really answering the original question but another way would be for them to buy a small cup or glass bowl say and offer it to the Devon or Cornwall Beekeepers as a prize for their honey show. Devon run a competition at the Devon County Show and I guess Cornwall do something as well. The cup could be in the name of the Grandparents, i.e. the "Smith Cup" assuming their name was Smith. Devon also have a prize for the person getting the most points in their BBKA Basic assessment so something educational might also be a possibility but a honey prize might be easiest.
 
having been to the Nat honey show, i think involment of children in bees would be my view, either by a cup as Rooftops says for best school entry

or a sponsership of a school hive like KAZMCC's school hive project

that's how i got interested in Bees, though the seed did not germinate for a few years ;)
 
I thought that it would be nice if they could maybe sponser our hive, although I would have to run it past the other two ladies. The garden is already in memory of a lady who had the plot for many years, whos family then took it over when she passed but couldn't keep it tended, although they were reluctant to give it up as they believe her spirit is there. We agreed that if we could take on the plot we would name it after her, so the garden is called Patsy's Secret Garden. We have a meeting coming soon, I will speak to the others. It sounds like a lovely idea and as we intend to get a couple more colonies, giving up two jars of honey would be no great hardship, as we are hoping the honey we sell will maintain the costs of the hives, along with another small grant.
 
I'd contact the local association.
I know Leicester has had a hive donated by the local WI for their training apiary, so maybe there's something like that local to them?
 
Yes I agree.
The local association is the best route.
 
I will join/endorse the local-help side of things, particularly as I view these (UK based colony) hive sponsorships as a money-making scam.

Sponsoring a hive in Africa, or other needy place, is good, lining the pockets of people or organisations in the UK is not. It is basically another way of asking for regular donations and I believe in honesty and not deceit, where cash is concerned.

Regards, RAB
 
Several National Trust properties are starting to add hives to their sites. The one with which I am involved is considering people being able to sponsor a hive alongside the 2 with which they are starting. They will be close to a parterre which I think includes lavender. However, this one is not local to you. Nevertheless, seeing whether any local NT properties are going down a similar route - or even suggesting you would like to provide a sum to equip a hive (with a couple of jars of honey each year in exchange) might get them started. That way, people can visit the NT and hive and probably buy extra honey in the shop. Youngsters and adults will also be 'educated' as to the benefits of hives. The advantage of the national trust is that the ground staff will often do any fencing that is needed as part of their normal activities so the set up cost would relate just to the hive essentials and clothing. The money we got for our hives arose from a bequest and the bequesters have asked for feedback and photos. We have just started a blog about our efforts hoping that others might wish to start a similar project. http://hughendenbees.wordpress.com/about
 
It all depends on what the enquirer really wants; if they're keen on supporting bees in a charitable way, then the Bees for Development Trust is a good start. They sponsor resource packs for people in developing countries to help them keep bees in the way which is best both for honey production and the health of the bees: http://www.beesfordevelopment.org/whatwedo/resourceboxes
They also have lots of useful links including to projects in the UK (Monmouthshire is probably the nearest of those to Devon, though).

If they would rather have a sponsored beehive to actually visit and/or get honey from, but not via the BBKA scheme, they might consider a trip to Buckfast Abbey. It's in Devon after all, and, as an Abbey, will be heavily dependent on donations. They don't do quite as much practical beekeeping/bee breeding as they used to, but they still produce honey, and run beekeeping courses. They might prove a more accessible way of supporting a local beehive - including providing one or two pots of honey.
 
Seems our group isn't interested as we are already named in someones memory, oh well, it's a nice idea...maybe somewhere nearer would be more appropriate anyway. It would be nice if the hive they sponser had something to do with educating people about bees though.
 
Had an email reply this evening:

Thank you very much for your assistance.
I have been amazed by the help offered.
once again many thanks.
Kelly
 

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