Learn to love our precious pollinators!

February 4, 2021

Passionate about pollinators? Buzzing about bees?

An un-bee-lievably exciting free event is taking place this February for anyone eager to learn more about protecting local pollinators.

The online event will include talks by bee expert Professor Dave Goulson, the Sussex Wildlife Trust, guitarist Richard Durrant and West Sussex County Council’s Youth Cabinet, to delve a little further into how we can all love pollinators better.

Anyone joining can expect to learn about the importance of bees and pollinators, what work is already under way to protect and enhance pollinator-friendly spaces and how to create bee-friendly habitats at home.

Deborah Urquhart, who leads Environment for West Sussex County Council, which is organising the event, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity to hear from wildlife experts about how we can all work together to protect bees and pollinators.

“Pollinators play a vital role in our eco-system. Without them we would have far fewer varieties of plants, insects and animals in West Sussex.

“But the bee population is falling and it’s up to us to take simple steps to protect them. I would really encourage residents to come along to the event and find out more.”

It comes as the South Downs National Park Trust is embarking on one of the biggest charitable wildflower planting initiatives the South East has ever seen as part of the Bee Lines project.

The community has rallied round to raise £75,000 to create a new network of wildflower corridors – effectively a “road system” for pollinating insects, allowing them to move through the landscape more easily and over time become more resilient to changes in the environment.

Community organisations and landowners were able to make grant applications last year and more details on those receiving funding for wildflower planting will be revealed later this year.

The ‘Who loves a pollinator?’ event will be held on Thursday 18 February from 7pm. Tickets are available here.