WINNERS of WWF’s Grand Green Idea 2014 Greenbrae School in Aberdeen are bringing home the honey with their winning eco projects.
Last year, Greenbrae School, in Bridge of Don, Aberdeen won the Scotland-wide search to find the best green community idea and claimed the top prize of £2,000 to help bring their project to life.
The school’s honey bee project beat tough competition from all over the country to take its place as the overall winning entry for the Grand Green Idea 2014, organised by WWF Scotland, supported with funds from players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
Since the funding was awarded, Greenbrae School has been busy and has purchased a bee hive, now home to one queen bee and 20,000 drones.
The school was also able to buy beekeeping equipment, eight child-sized bee suits, and honey production kits used by the whole school to harvest their first crop of honey last month.
Greenbrae School has been working closely with bee expert, Dr Ewan Campbell from Aberdeen University, who has provided a wealth of knowledge for the staff and pupils as well as helping to monitor and maintain the bee hives.
Throughout the year, the whole school has learnt the importance of pollination through activities such as regular site visits to the beehives, planting seeds and nurturing plants and cooking with bee pollinated fruits and vegetables.
Pupils also got an insight into different career sectors and Primary 4 and 5 pupils took part in enterprise work by designing, pricing and selling a bee calendar.
Head teacher of Greenbrae School, Anna Royle, said: “The honey bee project was a completely new venture for us. The whole school has been involved since day one and now we have the hives thanks to WWF Scotland and players of People’s Postcode Lottery we can run the project annually for years to come.
“We have been able to build sustainable new partnerships with local organisations and businesses and it’s been tremendously rewarding to work with people who are so enthusiastic about education as well as being helpful and reliable.”
Lang Banks, director of WWF Scotland, said: “It’s been fantastic to hear about the success of the honey bee project at Greenbrae School. The children have discovered the vital role bees play in the environment, and have been rewarded aptly with the sweet taste of honey.”
Clara Govier, head of Charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, added: “Greenbrae School’s project impressed us at the judging stages and it’s thrilling to see how successful they’ve been since they received the prize fund from our players.”
Aberdeen City Council’s convener of Education and Children’s Services Committee, Councillor Angela Taylor, said: “The honey bee project continues to create a real buzz for everyone involved at the school. The project has proved to be a fun way to learn about zoology, biology and entrepreneurial skills.”
The winners of the Climate & Energy category, Dalmally Eco Group, which secured £1,000 of funding, aims to highlight the importance of sustainability by growing their own organic fruit and vegetables.
The group includes volunteers from the local community and teachers and children from Dalmally Primary School.
The eco-committee is about to install the climate friendly poly-tunnel and will soon begin planting five types of fruit and vegetables which will be shared with the whole community at the school’s annual Harvest Lunch.
For more information on WWF, visit www.wwfscotland.org.uk
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