Two enterprising Hill West bee girls created a buzz when they set up a stand selling refreshing smoothies to raise cash for the Bee Friendly Trust.
Eight-year-olds Isla and Emilie were inspired after they worked on a project at school about saving bees and researched the Bee Friendly Trust, a charity which aims to create habitats for honey bees and all pollinators to thrive.
Soon, the friends who attend Hill West Primary School – part of the respected Arthur Terry Learning Partnership – were a hive of activity, planning ways to help ‘save the bees’.
With summer in full bloom, they decided to create cool, refreshing smoothies to sell to passers-by to raise cash for the Trust.
Hill West bee girls set up their stall
After a couple of weeks of planning, they set up a stall outside Isla’s house – and as temperatures soared neighbours were soon buzzing around to sample the homemade drinks.
Within a few short hours they had sold enough to raise £23 for the Bee Friendly Trust.
Isla’s mum, Rachel, said: “We are so proud of Isla and Emilie for deciding to do this – it was all their idea and they made the smoothies themselves.
“It was an especially hot day when they opened their stall, so they had a great response and raised £23 which has already gone to the Trust.”
The Bee Friendly Trust all began with two urban beekeepers, Luke and Qais putting some bee friendly planters on Putney station in West London in 2016.
Their aim was simply to increase forage for urban bees, but from this one small project the national charity was born. Soon, nearby stations asked for planters too, and Network Rail and Transport for London got involved. The two beekeepers were joined by others and now the charity has a dedicated team of specialists and volunteers, helping to organise community projects that creates habitats for honey bees and other pollinators to thrive.
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