It’s a hive of activity at Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) as thousands of winged residents have recently moved onto the South coast venue’s roof. 5,000 honeybees have been rehomed in two hives thanks to local charity, Bee Mission 500.

Amy Foster from Bee Mission 500 explains how the partnership came about;

“The team who runs the venue (local charity BH Live) had wanted some hives on the roof for a while. Through some mutual connections, they discovered the great work of Bee Mission 500. We went round to check the area was appropriate for the bees, which it was – and now they’ve moved in, which is great to see!”

The new hives will eventually house between 20,000-40,000 honeybees.

Serge Seliukov, Bee Mission’s Resident Beekeeper, says;

“Anyone going to Bournemouth International Centre will probably not even notice the bees. While 20,000 sounds like a lot of bees, in reality, it’s not that many and they won’t bother anyone. They’ll be heading straight to the flowers on Bournemouth’s clifftops and gardens which is why it’s a great spot for them with plenty of food. This variety of bees are bred to be very gentle and polite, so they won’t be disturbing anyone with their ‘buzz-iness’.”

After hearing about Serge’s pastime as a beekeeper, Bee Mission’s pilot scheme was launched in 2020 at Affinity Care Management’s homes, grounds and gardens by local businessman, Chris Bialan.

Chris was inspired, wanting to encourage other people to get passionate about bees, and their importance to the environment.

“Following Bee Mission’s success at the care homes, I began to think where else we could put hives, and this is where the idea of fostering hives came about.

“There are lots of people and businesses – just like BH Live – out there that care just as much as I do about the plight of the bees but have no idea how to help. I thought if we could supply the hives, and train people to look after their own hives or send our beekeepers to manage them, then between us, we could help solve this problem. And this is when Bee Mission 500 was truly born. Our mission is to install 500 beehives across Dorset and Hampshire, either in people’s gardens, on rooftops, or in local areas.

“Thanks to our partnership with BH Live, we have been able to install our first beehives at Bournemouth International Centre, which is very exciting. For such a prominent venue to be involved is incredibly encouraging and will hopefully persuade others to get involved too.”

BH Live is a registered charity and social enterprise. A leading leisure centre and event venue operator, the organisation operates Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in partnership with BCP Council.

On behalf of BH Live, Steve Turner, Director of Venues, shared,

“We are delighted to have supported Bee Mission 500 with this incredibly important and exciting community initiative. Thanks to the hard work of Bee Mission 500 and BH Live’s team, we are actively supporting our local environment and the future of these fascinating species. This is just another step towards making Bournemouth International Centre a more sustainable venue and doing our bit.”

A key part of this programme's success is also ensuring there is enough pollen to go around for all natural pollinators.

Serge explains;

“We’re working with bee conservationists to ensure that we also help the wild pollinators too. We’re planning on planting lots of wild meadows and gardens on our own land and encourage the communities in Dorset and Hampshire around our hives to plant as many wildflowers as possible.”

Bee Mission 500 doesn’t stop at helping bees, it helps people experiencing homelessness in Bournemouth too. Amy explains,

“All the profits from selling the Bee Mission 500 honey goes back into supporting other Bee Mission projects. One of these projects is cooking three hot, healthy, homemade meals every week and delivering them to people living on the streets in Bournemouth town centre.”

Chris adds,

“We’ve been working with the homeless in Bournemouth since 2014. Bee Mission has created new ways for some of the town’s most vulnerable people to get involved by offering upskilling and training opportunities as well as access to food.

“We’ve always had big ideas, big targets, and a big mission for Dorset and Hampshire, but we are confident in the power of the community to help and support each other and the bees. Next stop, Bee Mission 50,000 across the whole country!”

For more information on how you can get involved or support Bee Mission, visit www.beemission.co.uk