The Bumblebee Conservation Trust has today launched a campaign asking people to ‘Bee the Change’ by making their postcode more bumblebee-friendly.
The organisation is on a mission to help people take simple, quick micro-actions to help the bumblebee population.
The campaign comes as numbers of the insects that pollinate crops and wildflowers has rapidly declined.
Through the campaign, people will pledge to ‘Bee the Change’ and carry out simple actions like spotting nearby bumblebees, growing bee-friendly plants, creating wild bumblebee havens, and spreading the #BeeTheChange message with their friends, families and local communities.
The Bumblebee Conservation Trust will supply downloadable free resources and how-to guides throughout 2021 helping everyone to ‘Bee the Change’ wherever they live.
The Trust says anyone can take part, whether they live in the city or the countryside, and whether they have a garden, a flowerpot or no outdoor space at all.
“We know that many people want to take small, easy action ideas to help bumblebees but perhaps don’t know where to start or are worried they don’t have enough time. We want to make it easy for everyone to get involved.
“The Bee the Change resources on our website help anyone make the small changes that add up to a big difference to bumblebees. Together we can save the sound of summer, wherever we live,” Gill Perkins, Chief Executive of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said.
The campaign has been inspired by recent research* for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust which showed that six in 10 UK adults think ‘bees dying off’ is a very serious issue – a similar number of people to those with concerns about climate change and deforestation.
The same survey revealed over half of UK adults are aware and concerned about the consequences of biodiversity loss in their local area, and would plant a variety of flowers to feed bumblebees. Just over a third indicated they would like to learn more about bumblebees online.
“By taking simple actions for bumblebees, together we can get these pollinating superheroes buzzing again and make a big combined change for nature. Everyone can help these amazing insects by pledging to Bee the Change,” Chloe Headdon, Bee the Change Project Officer at the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, said.
The project has been made possible by an award from the Postcode Green Trust, thanks to players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Will Humpington, Climate Change and Environment Advisor at People’s Postcode Lottery, said: “Safeguarding the future of bumblebees in our cities, towns and countryside is a really important mission, and we are delighted players of People’s Postcode Lottery are supporting the Bee the Change campaign. We hope people across the UK will pledge to Bee the Change and help make their postcode more bumblebee-friendly!”
You can pledge to join and ‘Bee the Change’ online on the Bumblebee Conservation website.
*In late 2019 the Bumblebee Conservation Trust commissioned market research organisation 3GEM to carry out a nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults based on age, gender, and region. The survey was funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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