Rain forces switch to ‘Plan Bee’!
It’s been a year since the magnificent Ross Fountain was restored and it is becoming a favourite meeting place for the public and the perfect photo opportunity, under the backdrop of Castle Rock.
To celebrate the restoration that saw the water flowing for the first time in ten years, The Quaich Project yesterday hosted a day of free, family-friendly activities in West Princes Street Gardens.
Perhaps appropriately, water also flowed all day from the Scottish summer skies – so organisers deployed ‘Plan Bee’ and rearranged some activities to nearby St Cuthbert’s Parish Church!
As the first anniversary of the Ross Fountain restoration coincides with Defra’s Bees Needs Week, The Quaich Project welcomed The World Bee Project CIC to the capital to raise awareness of the importance of bees as part of our natural ecosystem and highlight The Quaich Project’s key campaign theme, to create A Space for Nature.
The World Bee Project is developing a world-first approach to understand the decline of honey bee populations and how we can help protect them.
David Ellis, Managing Director of The Quaich Project, said: “The Quaich Project is delighted to collaborate with The World Bee Project CIC.
“Improved biodiversity is a core outcome of the regeneration in West Princes Street Gardens, with the inclusion of wildflower meadows and a large area of untouched, natural green space to the south of the railway lines, right up to the top of Castle Rock. With these improvements, West Princes Street Gardens is destined to become an even better haven for bees of all kinds.”
The World Bee Project CIC are developing a world-first approach to understand the decline of honeybee populations and how we can help protect them.
Sabiha Rumani Malik, Founder and Executive President of The World Bee Project CIC says “We very much look forward to discussing the vital importance of bee health on our ecosystem, and ways in which The Quaich Project and other community partners can contribute to improving biodiversity in one of Edinburgh’s most treasured green spaces.
“The partnership with The World Bee Project CIC and The Quaich Project has the potential to bring together universities, schools, businesses and residents, sharing insights to life inside the hive and learning from the bees to create a balanced and harmonious environment within the city. It will also generate fascinating stories that will raise awareness and create connections with local, national and global audiences.”
The World Bee Project Hive Network is a ground-breaking initiative that will generate and share new learning about bees, help to create environments in which they can thrive and in turn protect our ecological heritage and food security.
The World Bee Project has partnered with Oracle to leverage cloud technologies and data analytics that will provide unprecedented insights into the lives of honeybees.
Find out more information on Oracle at https://www.oracle.com/corporate/pressrelease/ai-smart-hive-networks-101618.html.
Matthew Richardson – Apiary Manager, University of Edinburgh Apiary Project said: “The University of Edinburgh Apiary is working with the World Bee Project CIC to install a monitoring sensor on one if its hives which will generate new insights into the links between honey bee health, hive conditions, varying environments and the pollination services bees provide to maintain ecosystem health.
“Pollinating insects are currently suffering from habitat loss and a lack of foraging sites. Managed and unmanaged green spaces are vital in supporting pollinator populations on which we all rely.
“While work is being done in parks and gardens to plant trees and flowers that can provide much- needed food for these insects, it is important to study how effective such schemes are. One way to achieve this is to monitor the strength and health of bee populations in these areas and compare them to those in other environments.”
Happy Bee-Day free family activities in West Princes Street Gardens
There were a host of free activities including workshops and craft activities by The Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, bee hotel making from the RSPB, face-painting, a performance from the Scottish Country Dancing Society and a bee hive with honey-tasting from The Scottish Beekeepers Association.
Visitors enjoyed a live demonstration of the World Bee Project’s Hive Network which is connected to a beehive at the University of Edinburgh’s Apiary. Visitors were also offered wildflower bee bombs to help restore the lost wildflower habitat and make an important contribution to the biodiversity, courtesy of Beebombs.
Learn more about how you can help bring the bees back at www.beebombs.com
On a day where Wet Wet Wet may have been more appropriate, Sing in the City Community Choir entertained guests at St Cuthbert’s Parish Church!
The church in Princes Street Gardens West was also the venue for a performance by members of The Scottish Country Dance Society.
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