Crowmarsh Gifford class mesmerised by beauty of bees

A class from Crowmarsh Gifford CE Primary School was buzzing after meeting our honey bees and learning about trees in the park last week.

Having put on mini beekeeper suits, the children had the chance to get a close-up view of the honey bees from one of the four hives. Beekeeper Dave Taylor from Nurture Landscapes, which looks after Howbery’s grounds, shared many interesting facts about honey bees and explained how the group could do their bit to support bees locally.

“The beekeeping activity was such a special time for our children and adults,” said teacher Rebecca Fearn. “We were all mesmerised by their beauty and enjoyed hearing about the incredible work that they do. We all returned to school feeling so lucky to have got so close to the bees and the children have spoken lots within school and at home about it.”

As well as meeting the bees, the children explored Howbery’s tree trail with expert commentary from Hans Heilgendorff, also from Nurture Landscapes. The Crowmarsh class found the 11 notable trees on the trail, which are marked by plaques.

“Hans was incredibly knowledgeable,” said Rebecca. “He shared lots of interesting facts and listened intently to the children who wanted to share their own knowledge and passions about trees.”

Howbery Business Park has a long-term environmental programme on the park and is over half way through a six-year bio-diversity scheme. Raising awareness of different flora and fauna is one of the aims of the scheme, and inspiring youngsters to take an interest in nature fits perfectly with this goal.

The Tree Trail is open to the general public during park opening hours – 8am to 6pm on working weekdays. A free map is available from the Manor Café during its opening hours – 9am to 4pm on working weekdays.