The Friends of Portswood Rec and Southampton City Council (SCC) are joint winners of one of only 21 national awards for a 2021 Bees’ Needs Community Award
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The awards recognise and celebrate examples of exemplary initiatives undertaken by local authorities, community groups, farmers and businesses to support pollinators.
The Portswood Rec friends group announced the win in a tweet, saying they were “delighted to be announced by DEFRA and Keep Britain Tidy as one of only 21 national winners of a Bees Needs Community Award for 2021. Fantastic effort from our gardeners and SCC staff, particularly Kelvin, Hilary and Ian.”
Writing to the winners, environment minister Rebecca Pow MP from the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs offered her congratulations.
“We are grateful for the exceptional work that you have done to help pollinators survive and thrive throughout the country,” she said.
Pow added: “The UK’s 1,500 species of pollinators play such a crucial role in all our lives, helping flowers, fruit trees and crops to grow, and contributing around half a billion pounds a year of value to UK agriculture. Not only this, but they are also beautiful creatures that we value in their own right.
“I was particularly impressed by the work you have done to establish a wildflower meadow, and the action you have taken to inform and inspire the wider community.”
The full list of winners is here.
There’s more about Bees’ Needs Week, and how everyone can take actions to care for bees and other pollinators, from this government press release.
The Friends together with SCC are delighted to be announced by DEFRA and Keep Britain Tidy as one of only 21 national winners of a Bees Needs Community Award for 2021. Fantastic effort from our gardeners and SCC staff, particularly Kelvin, Hilary and Ian. https://t.co/vXG5yqravG pic.twitter.com/F1vtXeh5lz
— Friends of Portswood Rec (@RecFriends) April 7, 2022