News Archive |
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Thanks to the amazing support we've received from members, the general public and others (including the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme, SNH and Esmée Fairbairn), we continue to grow rapidly! Firstly, a warm welcome to our newly appointed secretary, Christiane Nitsch. She'll be the first point of contact for anyone contacting the Trust, and has the dubious pleasure of getting us all a bit more organised! |
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Secondly, another warm welcome - this time to our new Scottish Conservation Officer, Bob Dawson. Bob has joined us from the RSPB, and has a wealth of experience in working with farmers and land managers. We're hopeful that he'll be able to use that experience to help the rare Great Yellow and Moss Carder bumblebees. Both species urgently need the help of farmers throughout Scotland.
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And last but by no means least, we'd like to welcome Ben Darvill onto the BBCT team. Many of you will know that Ben was instrumental in setting up the Trust and overseeing its development. When the Trustees decided to advertise for an Ecologist and Development Manager, Ben was keen to apply - but as a Trustee himself it wasn't straightforward! Thankfully the Charity Commission gave the go ahead and he proved to be the strongest applicant for the post. He moves from a research post in the conservation genetics of rare bumblebees and we wish him well in his new role. |
National insect week events
Please book in advance by emailing enquiries@bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk |
Thursday 21th December, 7.30pm.
“The Plight of the Bumblebee” For further information contact Donald Smith, secretary of the East Lothian Beekeepers Association on 01620 822441 or email BBCT Sunday 22nd June, 2-4pm - Learn about bumblebees at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's wildflower meadow beside Loch Leven (Perth and Kinross). Meet at the RSPB Vane Farm visitors centre at 13:50. Bring sturdy footwear. Donations to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust are welcome, and entry to the reserve for non-RSPB members is £3. Sunday 22nd June, 10am - 3pm - Sheringham Park, Norfolk (National Trust). Nick Owens is running an identification and conservation of bumblebees workshop. Cost £12 to National Trust members and £14 to non-members. Tel. 01263 820550 to book. The session will include field work and photography of bumblebees plus an indoor workshop Tuesday 24th June, 7pm - 9pm - A world without bees - Alison Benjamin & Brian McCallum (authors of a new book, 'A world without bees Wednesday 25th June, 6-8pm - Learn about bumblebees at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's wildflower meadow beside Loch Leven (Perth and Kinross). Meet at the RSPB Vane Farm visitors centre at 17:50. Bring sturdy footwear and perhaps a packed dinner. Donations to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust are welcome, and entry to the reserve for non-RSPB members is £3. Saturday 28th June, 11am onward - Dunblane (nr. Stirling). Take a walk along the riverside paths with BBCT director Dave Goulson to learn all about bumblebees and how to identify them. Meet in the car park next to Dunblane Cathedral. Donations to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust are welcome. |
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', in conversation with Guardian Environmental editor John Vidal. The Guardian Newsroom, 60 Farringdon Road, London, EC1R 3ER. Tickets £8, payable on the door, and with proceeds going to Bees Abroad.Other events in 2008 |
27th - 31st May - Bath and West Show. Come and meet us at our stall! 30th May - 1st June - Gardening Scotland. Another massive and excellent event - come and meet us, and pick up some bumblebee friendly plants while you're there! Wednesday 4th June - Bumblebees for Beginners. An introduction to bumblebees and how to identify the common species. 6.30pm at Camley Street Natural Park, London NW1. Admission free, no need to book. Organised by the London Natural History Society. ----- followed by - 15th June - a field trip to an area of chalk grassland in South London, where workshop members will be invited to put their ID skills to the test. Booking required for field trip, please email enquiries@bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk Saturday 7th June, 11am - 3pm - Parc Slip family fun day at Parc Slip Nature Centre, Fountain Road, Tondu, CF32 0EH. A great day out with pond dipping, nature trail, mini beast hunt, landrover safaris, information and advice on wildlife gardening, meet Bridgend Beekeepers and learn how to make honey, come face to face with owls from The Welsh Owl and Wildlife Sanctuary. Our conservation Officer Lucie will be there too, leading short bumblebee identification walks. Entry is FREE. Sunday 8th June, 10:30am - 4pm - Springfest at RSPB's Vane Farm nature reserve (Perth and Kinross). A family activity day packed with interesting events. We'll be there leading ID walks around the bumblebee wildflower meadow every 45 minutes or so, and there will be all sorts of other things to get involved in. No need to book, but entry charges apply - RSPB members go FREE, adults £3, families £6, concessions £2. Sunday 6th July, Sunday 6 July 2008 - 10.30am - 5pm - Celebrate Ayrshire at Culzean Castle. An exciting festival of all things Ayrshire – including farming, fishing, food, arts, history, the environment. Maybole Pipe Band and Dalmellington Band will both be present. We'll be there with a stall, if you'd like to come along and meet us. Sunday 6th July, 3 - 5pm - Learn about bumblebees at the High Wycombe Environment Centre in the Rye/Holywell Mead Park with local expert Clive Hill. Places limited so please email enquiries@bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk to book Wednesday 30th July, 6 - 8pm - Bumblebees and Honeybees evening with the Loch Leven NNR volunteers. All welcome. At the Millbridge Hall, Kinross. Contact enquiries@bumblebeeconservationtrust.co.uk for more information Friday 1 - Sat 2nd August, The Perth Agricultural Show - We'll be there with a stall, so please come along and say hello Saturday 2 August, 11am – 1pm - Bumblebee Walk, Epenede, nr Confolens, Charente, France. Directions: From Epenede, go towards Pleuville. After 500m turn left. At the Horse chestnut tree turn left again. Contact dave.goulson@stir.ac.uk if you would like to attend Sunday 3rd August, 2pm – 4pm - Buzzing about in the Botanic Gardens. A potter around the flower borders of the Leicester University Botanic Gardens. Learn how to identify the “Big Six” bumblebee species and their cuckoos. Please email us for more information and to reserve your place. Sorry - this event is now fully booked Thursday 28th August, Monmouth Show. We'll be at this show with a stall, so another chance to come and say hello! Thursday 20th November, 7-9pm. Irreplaceable – the World’s Most Invaluable Species. The ever-popular and thought-provoking Earthwatch Debate this year focuses on the world’s most irreplaceable species – choose between bees, bats, fungi, plankton and primates. Dr. George McGavin will be championing bees - good luck George! At the Royal Geographical Society, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AR - contact the Earthwatch Europe Events Department on (01865) 318856; events@earthwatch.org.uk |
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Recruiting! |
Ecologist and Development Manager - £28,290 - £33,780 We're looking for a new member of staff with a broad range of skills to join our team. The successful applicant will be passionate about bumblebee conservation and will be able to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of their behaviour and ecology. They will have a demonstrable track record in fundraising, development and marketing, and will be proficient in web design and maintenance. Line management experience is preferable. Please email for further particulars, or to apply The deadline for applications is 12th June 2008. |
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We've recently signed up to an excellent new site called everyclick.com. It's a search engine, just like Google, but with a difference. Every time you search, you generate funds for a charity of your choice. It doesn't cost you anything - there's no catch. The website uses the results from Ask.com (a popular search engine), and donates money for 'every click'. Please click the button on the left, and set the Bumblebee Conservation Trust as your charity of choice! |
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Summer Surveys! |
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Reserves - developments... |
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Nest box trial |
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GYBB Research |
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Great Yellow Bumblebee - Action |
SNH have kindly funded a (£17,000) project to help the Great Yellow Bumblebee (B. distinguendus). We're producing 400 interactive schools packs for P2-3 children. These packs provide all of the resources and information necessary for 3 exciting lessons, which are integrated into the national curriculum. They've been trialled (and very well received) at a number of schools throughout Scotland, and the final packs are in production. Any interested teachers from Scottish schools, please contact us. We've also produced information leaflets and posters for farmers and crofters, which will be widely distributed in GYBB strongholds. We hope to help improve the management in these areas, for the benefit of GYBB. |
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Wildlife Gardens |
Plans for our own demonstration wildlife garden (at the University of Stirling) are taking shape. We're hoping to create a beautiful cottage garden, using traditional garden plants and wildflowers, which will be a haven for bumblebees. In addition, we are developing a wildlife garden site at Johnston Terrace in the centre of Edinburgh, in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust |
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Welcome! |
We are delighted to welcome Bridget England and Lucie Southern to the trust. They have taken up full-time positions as Senior Conservation Officer and Conservation Officer respectively. We are very pleased to have them on board, and wish them every success in all that they do. |
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Charity Status |
BBCT are pleased to announce that we have been granted charity status (Registered Charity Number 1115634). We had previously been operating as a not-for-profit company while the paperwork was processed. If you haven't already - pleased print and post a gift-aid form. |
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Sniffer Dog! |
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Reserve Appeal |
NEW! We are searching for Reserve Founders. Thanks to the amazing support that we have already received, we are now in a position to consider buying or managing our first nature reserve. We are going to need help to raise the extra funds to do this. To find out how you can become a Reserve Founder, or to support our Reserve Appeal - click here |
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BBCT meets the BBC |
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Windfalls... |
We are delighted to announce that we have just been awarded two major grants to help kick-start our conservation efforts. The £50,000 and £28,000 grants come from the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Biodiversity Action Grants Scheme (which is jointly supported by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Executive) respectively. We are enormously grateful to these organisations and look forward to the important work ahead. |
Sunday 4th June2006 |
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Springwatch 'Breathing Places' on Southampton Common
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The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is a registered charity (number 1115634) which was founded with the aim of protecting bumblebees and their associated habitats through conservation and education. We are grateful to the following organisations for their support.
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