Pollinating the Peak bee project scoops £25,000

Campaigners who are aiming to make the Peak District a refuge for bumblebees are buzzing after winning £25,000.
Bilberry Bumblebee. Photo by Bumblebee Conservation TrustBilberry Bumblebee. Photo by Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Bilberry Bumblebee. Photo by Bumblebee Conservation Trust

The money has been awarded to Pollinating the Peak which scooped more than 13,500 votes in the final of a national competition n run by Aviva Community Fund.

Sally Cuckney, development manager for Pollinating the Peak, said: “This is fantastic news for our project to make the Peak District and Derbyshire a bumblebee haven and a centre of knowledge about our vital wild pollinators. Local support during the online vote was amazing – huge thanks to everyone who voted!”

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Pollinating the Peak aims to inspire people and communities to get involved to create bee-friendly habitats, help monitor bumblebees, and learn conservation skills

Secondary schools will be able to take part in an innovative educational programme, and the project will include a focus on the rare Bilberry bumblebee.

Improvements to gardens and habitats will benefit people too, including by increasing opportunities to enjoy wildlife and nature, and by boosting awareness of the region’s natural heritage.

Bumblebees pollinate many crops, but their populations have crashed with some species already extinct or fighting extinction. Loss of flower-rich habitat is the biggest threat to bumblebees’ survival, with 97% of the UK’s wildflower meadows lost since the Second World War.

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Partners in Pollinating the Peak are Chatsworth, Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire County Council, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Little Green Space, Moors for the Future Partnership, Peak District National Park, and Visit Peak District & Derbyshire.