Buzzing with excitement at new venture as 20,000 new visitors are now staying in Doncaster park

Flourish, a Community Interest Company, based in Woodfield Park, Balby, has just taken delivery of their new team members – bees.

And two members of the Flourish team are buzzing with excitement at a new role they now play – beekeepers.

Flourish now has two hives in the Walled Garden – which is open to the public – and funded the hives and bee keeping equipment thanks to winning a Doncaster Chamber of Commerce award. As the project develops more hives will be introduced to the gardens.

Ben Gannon, gardener and beekeeper, said: “It’s a new and very unusual addition to my role but it is great. Bees are such an important part of our global eco-system, and we hear about bee populations dwindling so it’s brilliant that we can do our small part to redress the balance.”

“The hives will hopefully become a fabulous resource for our team members and volunteers who want to participate in the entire process from hive to jar.

“Education plays an important role in what we do here at Flourish and our new friends will allow our many visitors and service users to learn more about the natural world”.

The bees will also pollinate the garden’s fruit trees and crops, to help grow fresh produce which is then used in the neighbouring Café Flourish and sold to visitors.

Ben and colleague Elizabeth Jackson, who are now members of the Doncaster Bee Keeping Association, are hoping for the first batch of honey to be available from August onwards, which will be used in the café and sold in the Walled Garden.

Laurie Smith, Flourish Managing Director, said “We know that bees are the most important pollinators in the natural world, they will support our biodiversity and sustainability pledge, produce honey for our catering, strengthen our vocational pathway training schemes and in time we will partner with Doncaster businesses to support the local economy. We encourage people to keep an eye on our website and social media channels as we plan to launch a 24-hour live camera feed of our new friends at work and at home, appropriately called “Live from the Hive”.