A Sustainable honey business has brought in an educational manager to help teach up to 600 Scottish schools about honey bees.
Michelle English recently joined the Kinross based Webster Honey, a sustainable honey business, to help improve its educational output carried out by the company.
Webster Honey was started up by construction entrepreneur, Daniel Webster, and his partner, Emily-Kate McDonnell.
The business currently visits schools with a proven learning programme giving them a s number of hives to tend and look after and plans to become Scotland’s biggest bee employer.
The programme educates them about the importance of looking after bees and how they contribute to the ecosystem.
A beekeeper employed by Webster Honey goes into the schools to carry out the lesson plans, keeping in touch with the school until the honey is harvested.
Webster Honey sells its products, which also include candles, alongside many types of set, runny and flavoured honey, in farm shops and delis all over Scotland.
With Michelle’s appointment the company plans to increase its number of school it engages with and hopes to get more distinctive Webster Honey hives into more schools, which they can paint.
Michelle said: “We have just launched the campaign, having contacted around six hundred Primary Schools all over Scotland by email, introducing them to Webster Honey, and explaining what our campaign is really all about.”
“It’s a very exciting time for the business, and I’m delighted to be on board.
“It’s crucially important to educate children about the importance of honey bees – no bees, no food for us basically.”
Michelle from Polmont, Stirlingshire, a suffered of hayfever, asthma and other allergies has researched that locally sourced honey is very good for easing symptoms.
She added: “I’ve been ensuring that the schools see and understand what our unique ten lesson plan consists of, so they know what the children will be doing if they engage with us.
“We can send out Miek who is our experienced beekeeper, he has a great way with children, and we’ve had amazing feedback from the schools who have already taken part in our programme.
Michelle also explained that she had been very impressed by Webster Honey’s future ambitions.
She said: “We have plans underway to use a custom designed log cabin to house a special Bee-Keeping Centre at Scotlandwell in Kinross-shire, the first for the area, which will train and educate people hoping to keep their own bees.
“Daniel and Emily-Kate feel that the Beekeeping School will add an extra dimension to this business, as more and more people are wanting to have their own hives.”
Webster Honey will be running day courses and will even consider residential stays in the future.For further details visit www.websterhoney.co.uk.
