Reparation team are buzzing about their bee hive hotel

Our reparation team and have been working with Cambridge City Council to build a bee hive hotel which will be located in Christs Pieces park in Cambridge. The project has been fully funded by the council and will display a plate explaining the YMCA involvement in its creation.

Cambridge City Council declared a biodiversity emergency in May 2019, pledging to make the City’s parks and open spaces more hospitable for wildlife and to raise awareness of what others can do in their gardens and places of work. The bee hotel was commissioned to provide a focal point of activities in the relatively formal setting of Christ’s Piece and has been positioned next to newly planted perennial flowering meadow, which replaced the previous bedding plants as a more sustainable option. These meadows are being established across the City to provide food source for a range of pollinating insects. However, these species also require places of shelter to breed and hibernate, hence the bee hotel, designed to provide individual nesting opportunities for a range of harmless solitary bees and wasps.

The Cedar case was made planked from a fallen tree and much of the infill material collected from the City Councils local nature reserves.

Our young people completing their reparation have learnt new skills in woodwork and have gained a greater understanding with wildlife. The whole project has also given the participants a sense of pride from making the bee hive hotel as it will have a positive impact on the environment.

This project has been a great success and it has inspired Peterborough City Trust who are now looking to do something similar with the West Raven community allotments.