Meet Mavis King: 90-year-old Trust Supporter and Bumblebee Ambassador

Mavis King is 90 years old and has been a Trust Supporter and Bumblebee Ambassador for 20 years. We recently interviewed her at her local church, where she was running a bumblebee event.

Q: How long have you been a Bumblebee Ambassador for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust?

An elderly volunteer standing in front of pink flowers

90-year-old Mavis King has supported the Trust for 20 years.

A: I should think probably 20 years by now. I first watched little boys stamping on something under a tree … I went over to investigate, and they were stamping on bumblebees! That started it all, well and truly.

I started by writing to schools around the rural district. I would make enquiries and then write to the Head Teacher and say would they allow me to provide them with Trust paperwork. I liaised all the time of course with Gill Perkins, the current CEO, and the Trust CEO before her, and bit by bit it just became a habit for me to do that.

When my own great grandchildren started school, it was a good contact to have a child in the school, and then make a point to the Head Teacher. So it just, as I said, became a habit to do that.

Q: What things have you done over the years in this supporter role?

A: I’ve done lots of liasing with Gill and other Trust staff members over the years. Education is the most important area in my opinion. Over the past 20 years or so I’ve concentrated on children and education. I’ve read that there’s now an education programme aimed at juniors, but I’d like it lower than that, because those children I’ve seen stamping on bumblebees were primary school age. That really sparked me with such distress.

You’ve got to start younger at primary school. It’s a lovely juniors programme and getting this education into schools is great. But all my experience has been with primary schools. So really it’s got to start, in my view, as young as possible. It rubs off on the younger ones, the older ones, it even rubs off on the parents too.

An elderly lady in church setting up flowers for a bumblebee event

Mavis King setting up her bumblebee event at her local church.

Q: What is it that you love about bumblebees in particular – a favourite species perhaps?

A: I don’t think that I do have a favourite, actually. I think they’re all absolutely wonderful! I think what’s so amazing is some of the photography in the Buzzword membership magazine is out of this world, such beautiful photographs. How the photographer has got the whole face shape and the eyes, it’s almost as if you can see the brain of these creatures with some of the photography now.

But no, as far as I’m concerned, they’re all equally special and important pollinators. I’ve kept all my back issues of Buzzword. The lowering of their numbers, how unfortunately some of the species is so low now, it’s terrible – but we can all do something to help.

Q: Lastly, what do you enjoy the most about being a Bumblebee Ambassador for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust?

A: I believe that we’ve got to really focus on the education of children, truthfully. Over the whole country we are all in need of educating people better. I can only approach local schools if I can have a connection with them. A school in Beckley was through a lady who taught me to use a computer. Her niece and nephew are in that school, so that made the connection for me. I was in hospital nearly all of last year, so I never used that connection yet, but I’ve still got it, it’s still there, and I’ve still got my pack of information. So that’s what I do, I pop in and meet with the Head Teacher and offer information.

Flowers arranged in a church

Mavis King’s bumblebee event at her local church.

The main thing I like to offer them is the Bumblebee Conservation Trust ID poster. I think that is ideal as young children see the shape of the bumblebee and they know what it is. They’re too young to really understand all the rest of the necessities of bumblebees really, but they’re big and bright and enticing enough images that I’m sure do click.

I’ve got my two great grandchildren and they were two of the first in this group that was set up. (They’re both in junior school now, so it was some years ago). But they were absolutely thrilled to see their picture Buzzword and pass it round and show their teacher. That’s what we want – as much of that as possible!

In my little flat, halfway down the stairs, I’ve got the Bumblebee Conservation Trust ID poster. Last week, I had a workman over to fix a blind. He said, “I’ve learned a lot today. I know all about bumblebees now!” He’d been up and down the stairs for tools and things so many times and had seen the poster. And that’s not the first time!

Several times I’ve had workmen over and they’re doing something. As they go down the stairs, they see the poster there – we need a lot more of that. People just notice it and it goes in a little bit, just one particular bumblebee species or a fact about them. It’s a drip, drip, drip situation. Especially, as far as children are concerned, if you can get them to care and understand. Be it bumblebees among other things of course, but bumblebees particularly at the moment because we desperately need them.

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