We want to expand our current apiary to include a fully weather proof one, with a transparent side. This will ensure our bees are provided with optimum honey producing conditions, and that people visiting the hives can see them at work! We will also use the money raised through Crowdfund London to purchase a honey extracting shelter/storage facility and run a programme of activities for local people to learn more about bee keeping and honey production. This will include training courses for volunteers to become apiarists (bee-keepers), and a children’s curriculum of fun and accessible learning. Our hives will effectively become a bee-learning centre. Our volunteer beekeepers will teach successive cohorts to keep the programme going, and from our production site we’ll extract honey, and create products like honey flavoured chocolate to market at local festivals and events. We’ll also recycle wax left over from extraction to create quality candles and insulation for the hives.

What we'll deliver:

• 1. We will build a wooden ‘hut’ facility, which will be used as a production site/ storage to extract and jar the honey.
• 2. Cultivate the land on the site of the apiaries using local volunteers from local schools.
• 3. Produce high quality products, such as 100% recycled wax candles and honey flavoured chocolates.
• 4. We will increase our bee- keeping facilities to produce high quality local honey by adding additional hives.
• 5. We will purchase specialist bee clothing/ equipment for volunteers to use during their beekeeping training sessions.
• 6. We will cultivate the garden area adjacent to the hives to provide wild flowers for the bees to collect pollen.

Why it's a great idea:

This provides an amazing opportunity to bring the community together to learn about environmental issues and local food production. It also gives them the chance to gain skills and explore business opportunities. The enthusiasm that local residents and organisations such as community groups and schools have shown towards the existing hives, shows that this project has the potential to connect people up, and that it can thrive over the long term. The project is inspirational in that it shows that inner city residents need not be bound by preconceived ideas about inner city life; they too can enjoy nature and produce food. Schools will have a superb resource within walking distance, which pupils can involve their families with outside school hours. Recycling bi-products of the extraction process will promote ideals of environmental sustainability, and, through participation, our volunteers gain some of the essential practical and soft skills they need to succeed in the world of work.

Steps to get it done:

• 1. Set up the Greening Brownfield community garden apiaries
• 2. Plant the wildflowers essential for pollination
• 3. Build the wooden hut facility for extraction, jarring and storage
• 4. Purchase all the necessary equipment for the course e.g. bee suits
• 5. Volunteers complete the beekeeping course
• 6. Volunteers use the bi-products to create beeswax candles and honey flavoured chocolate
• 7. The process begins again with a new cohort of volunteers, and our trained volunteers in the teaching role!

Leaders in community works with Poplar HARCA, the site's owner and Greening Brownfield, the group that hosts our apiary.