Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Creating A Safe Environment For Our Rooftop Bees!

Argent College is planning to welcome their first beehives onto the rooftop micro-farm of the New Standard Works building in the Jewellery Quarter this summer. These urban bees will be the first in the Jewellery Quarter, and all going well, will be producing JQ honey within the next year.

Argent College is an independent specialist college for young people aged 16 – 25 with complex learning needs. Our Practical Skills Therapeutic Education Curriculum helps our students overcome barriers to learning, become skilled through doing purposeful activities, and contribute to the community.

“Keeping bees in our rooftop garden will be great for our students; they will learn how to harvest organic honey and use it to prepare food in our café and bakery and college kitchen. The beeswax will support the students’ therapeutic candle-making curriculum and they will experience nature, which is of great benefit to our young people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Most of all, caring for the bees will help our students gain a sense of environmental responsibility. We need to look after the bees’ environment, so they can look after ours,” Alex Griffin, Associate Principal, Argent College.

We have decided to position the beehives behind our poly tunnel and include a clear wall so our students (and the public!) will be able to watch them in a safe space. As our heating ducts and vents are also there, we need to carry out some modifications so that the bees will also have a safe environment to do their thing! We need to raise funds to do these works.

Please visit: W: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/JQBees

Options: As a thank you for your support

For £10 we will *Name a Bee* after you! (immortalised on a honeycomb plaque)

For £25 you can *Adopt a Bee*! (30 available)
We will name a bee after you (immortalised on a honeycomb plaque) and you will receive: a beeswax hive candlestick made by a student at Argent College (There are only 30 of these available for the first 30 donations of £25). An invitation to a public rooftop open day to hear about plans for beekeeping in the College, and learn about our rooftop bio-dynamic micro-farm.

For £50 you can be a *Crafty Bee*! (5 available)
We will name a bee after you (immortalised on a honeycomb plaque) and you will receive:
A two-hour craft workshop experience of your choice (from the 2019 Saturday Sessions programme) See www.thehiveJQ.org
An invitation to a public rooftop open day to hear about plans for beekeeping in the College, and learn about our rooftop bio-dynamic micro-farm.

For a £250 donation we can offer you a *Worker Bee* full days use of our Makers Studio (weekday). (6 available)
Our Makers Studio is a great space, with a light and relaxing environment for up to 25 people for a meeting to devise strategies, or for a creative team building away day. Unlimited hot drinks and projector and screen equipment provided.
We will also give you a tour of the rooftop garden as part of the day and name up to 50 bees each after all your company’s employees (immortalised on a honeycomb plaque)!

Sponsor a *Queen Bee* £500 (2 available)
For a £500 donation we will name one of our beehives Queen Bees after you!. And you’ll receive:
An invitation to a private Queen Bee naming drinks reception on the roof to which you can invite up to 10 guests well also name a bee after your guests! Gary, our Bio-dynamic land tutor/bee keeper will give you a tour of the rooftop micro-farm and wormery in the basement, and of course you’ll meet the bees and hear about the College’s plans for beekeeping!

A delicious 2-course organic lunch for four people in our on-site Café and Bakery
A hand-made gift by a student of Argent College
A two-hour craft workshop experience of your choice for TWO people (from the 2019 Saturday Sessions programme). See www.theHiveJQ.org

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