What is the Bee Friendly Award Campaign?
The Bee Friendly Awards is an annual awards scheme organised by the Bee Friendly Trust, to celebrate towns and cities that are taking action to support bees and other pollinating insects.
Why are we getting involved?
The conservation status of bees and other pollinators is of increasing concern. Evidence shows that many bee species are in decline, with around one-third of UK species decreasing between 1980 and 2019.
These trends highlight the urgent need for coordinated local action. Councils have a critical role in supporting bee populations by creating and maintaining pollinator-friendly habitats, engaging communities in bee-friendly activities and embedding biodiversity considerations into policy.
Promoting a city-wide campaign for bee friendly actions - such as planting pollinator-friendly flowers, reducing pesticide use, and improving habitat connectivity - can make a meaningful contribution to reversing these declines.
What does our campaign involve?
Working towards the award provides us with a focal point to engage with individuals, community groups, businesses, schools and other organisations to improve the natural environment locally.
The campaign will have its own event stand that will be taken to various events over summer and beyond - including a main bee-themed event in Burslem Park on August 1st. On the stand we will offer a bee-themed activity, such as wildflower seedball making, as well as providing information on how people can support bees.
We'll also be posting on our social media channels about ways to promote bee friendly activities, such as the creation of pollinator pitstops (see next page) and sharing updates about the different ways people in the city are supporting bees.
We'll also be promoting the campaign in person to residents, businesses, schools and other organisations, in addition to offering advice on practical action.