National Lottery Awards - Best Environment Project - Bumble Bee Conservation Trust

Bumblebee Conservation Trust

The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was founded to raise awareness about the decline of bumblebees and the consequences for our countryside and food stocks. It also works with members of the public, farmers and land managers to prevent further declines and looks after bumblebee populations for future generations.

In the last 70 years, two bumblebee species have become nationally extinct and many others have declined dramatically. The Bumblebee Conservation Trust was founded in 2006 to raise awareness of what Director Dr Ben Darvill calls, "the plight of the bumblebee". Set up with Lottery funding, which was used to cover running and staff costs, the Trust has grown rapidly. It now has over 6,000 members and its message has reached about 10 million people, Ben estimates, through extensive media coverage and direct outreach work.

Bees are vital to the conservation and diversity of British wildlife as they pollinate fruit, vegetables, flowers and plants. 'Without bees,' says Ben, 'much of the beauty and richness would be lost and our dinner plates would be very uninspiring.' But thanks to declining populations and habitats, a world without bumblebees is looking more likely.

To raise awareness about bee conservation, and to encourage the public to get involved, the Trust takes its message to events like the Hampton Court Flower Show. With someone dressed as a giant bee to attract children, and information for the adults, its stalls always make an impact. It also works with farmers, land managers and policymakers to improve bumblebee habitats, and gives talks to people interested in making their gardens bee-friendly.

Bumblebee conservation has caught the imagination of the general public, and people volunteer on the Trust's behalf, giving talks about making your garden attractive to pollinators, or how to identify the different species, helped by an information pack the Trust sends them. 'We can't get everywhere ourselves, so this helps us cover the whole of the UK,' says Ben. A website with tips on bumblebee-friendly habitats also helps spread the message.

Ben says he's hopeful that the work of the Trust will bring two of the rarer bee species back from the brink of extinction in the next decade. 'As for bee happiness in general, if you accept that just 1 per cent of the 300,000 website visitors have done something to improve their gardens, that's 3,000 more bee-friendly gardens,' he says. 'And now people are far more aware of the plight of the bumblebee. Four years ago, many people would never have known bees were in trouble.'

To vote for the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust in the National Lottery Awards 2010 Click here

The National Lottery Awards 2010

The National Lottery Awards are an annual search to find the UK's favourite Lottery-funded projects. Lottery players raise £25 million each week for Good Causes, and the Awards are a great way to highlight how that funding has changed the UK for the better.

Public voting for the finals of The National Lottery Awards is now open. Follow this link to the National Lottery Awards Site. Click on the dots on the map below to find out more about each project, and to cast your vote.

Or, if you would like to see the list of the three projects competing in each category, click on the links to the right of the map. Voting closes at midday on 13 August.

The project in each category that receives the most votes will be the winner, and the results will be revealed on a special Awards event broadcast on BBC One later this year.

(c) National Lottery Awards 2010 - www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards/