people trained in the basics of beekeeping.
Ainsdale Allotments · First season
From a grant to a working community apiary.
The National Lottery Community Fund helped us establish the apiary, buy equipment and train people in practical beekeeping. One season later, three hives are being tended by six regular beekeepers and more than ten people have learnt the basics.
beekeepers now tending the colonies.
hives prepared for their first winter.
jars gifted or sold for the allotment society.
The point was never just honey
Learning by doing.
The project was designed to build practical capability, not simply install beehives. Members received hands-on guidance in inspections, colony management and seasonal decisions, with food health and safety training added before the first harvest was processed.
We now have a small regular team able to tend the three hives together, while more people at the allotments have expressed an interest in learning about these remarkable pollinators next season.
See the project plan and progress
Our first harvest
From frames to finished jars.
We uncapped the frames, extracted and settled the honey, prepared the jars and applied our own labels. More than 100 jars were produced and were either gifted to allotment members or sold to raise money for the allotment society.
Passing the value on
What can five jars of honey do?
We are setting aside five jars from the first harvest for a small charity auction. The three highest bids will win the honey and every pound from the winning bids will be passed to a small local charity. The beneficiary will be announced before bidding opens.
First-harvest charity auction
Five jars. Three winning bids.
Highest bid receives three jars. Second and third receive one jar each. The auction is being prepared now and will open once the beneficiary and closing date are confirmed.
Next season
Three hives into winter. More people ready to learn.
The colonies have been prepared for overwintering and the practical focus now shifts to monitoring them responsibly through the colder months. We are already looking forward to another year of learning, practising and bringing more interested members into the apiary.
Transparency
Follow the whole project.
The spending plan, project plan and update log remain available so members can see how the original grant has been used and what it has helped produce.