First-harvest charity auction

What can five jars of honey do?

Our first apiary season started with community funding. It produced new skills, three working hives and more than 100 jars of honey. We have kept five jars aside to see whether the value can be passed on again.

The three highest valid bids will win the honey. Every pound from those winning bids will go to a small local charity, with the beneficiary confirmed before bidding opens. We will cover the jars, packaging, postage and payment costs ourselves.

Valid bidders
Highest bidNo bids yet
BeneficiaryTo be announced

Bidding will open after the beneficiary and closing date are confirmed.

A clear jar of first-harvest Ainsdale Apiaries honey held up to daylight
One of the first jars from Batch 001.

Highest bid

3 jarsof 250g first-harvest honey

Second

1 jarof 250g honey

Third

1 jarof 250g honey

Why we are doing it

Making the original funding useful twice.

The National Lottery Community Fund helped pay for the hives, equipment and training that got the project started. The purpose was to develop practical skills and create something the allotment community could continue to learn from. The first honey harvest gives us a small opportunity to pass some of that value onwards.

Fundingcommunity grant
Trainingnew beekeeping skills
Hivesthree colonies
Pollinationallotment ecosystem
Honeyfirst harvest
Local causewinning bids donated

How the auction works

Sealed bids, kept simple.

This is an auction rather than a raffle or prize draw. The winners are determined entirely by the value of their bids, not by chance.

  • Minimum bid: £7.
  • One active bid per email address. You can increase it before the auction closes.
  • The current highest bid is shown publicly, but bidder identities remain private.
  • The highest bidder receives three jars. Second and third receive one jar each.
  • If two bids are equal, the bid that first reached that amount ranks higher.
  • Winning bidders will have 48 hours to make payment after being contacted.
  • If a winning bid is not honoured, the next qualifying bidder may be offered the prize.
  • UK delivery only. Packaging and postage are covered by the organiser.

Where the money goes

Beneficiary to be announced.

We are selecting a small local charity where a few hundred pounds can make a visible difference and where the connection to community, growing, skills or the environment is genuine. Bidding will not open until the beneficiary has agreed to be named.

Transparency: after the auction we will publish the final amount received and evidence that the full value of the winning bids was passed on.

The honey

Batch 001.

The five auction jars are part of our first processed harvest. The honey was handled using food-safe equipment after members completed relevant food health and safety training. Each jar is 250g and carries our front and information labels.

Front label

Ainsdale Apiaries

Pure local honey from English allotments, using the project’s black-and-gold bee mark.

Information label

Batch 001 · 250g

Storage and food-safety information is applied to each jar before distribution.

Food safety: honey is not suitable for infants under 12 months. Store in a cool, dry place.

Questions and terms

The important bits.

Is this a raffle?

No. There is no random draw. The three highest valid bids win, with the prize split 3 jars, 1 jar and 1 jar.

What happens to the money?

The full amount paid by the three winning bidders will be passed to the named beneficiary. The organiser will cover the honey, packaging, postage and payment costs separately.

Can I change my bid?

You can increase your active bid before the closing time. Reductions are not accepted because a submitted bid is intended to be a genuine commitment.

What information do you store?

Name, email address, bid amount and technical anti-abuse information required to operate the auction. See the privacy page for more detail.

What if there is a technical problem?

We may pause, extend or cancel the auction if a technical or integrity issue means bids cannot be handled fairly. Any such change will be published on this page.