Impact data and claims within this report are provided by the project creator and have not been independently verified by Spacehive.
The project comes in two folds; first is increasing the bee population in Hammersmith and Fulham, and second is supporting refugees interested in beekeeping and permaculture.
This project is preparing for fundraising. Click Like to show your support, or Follow for updates on this project's journey.
This project aims to use a number of different locations across Hammersmith & Fulham, however these are not yet all confirmed. Please keep your eyes on the Journey section of this page for updates on the selected venue(s) as they are confirmed. Please note that no funds will be collected from backers until the venue(s) have been confirmed and communicated. Bees and Refugees mainly aims to provide workshops for local refugees in Beekeeping and hive making. Moreover, it aims to provide technical and logistical support for interested refugees by supplying them with a starter beekeeping kit including a hive, as well as a space for their hives.
What we'll deliver:
Why it's a great idea:
Whether adopted as a hobby or a source of living, bee keeping is bound to advance the well-being of the participants, as bees and refugees aims to foster a community where knowledge, experiences and support are shared, and similar communities can flourish. On the other hand, expanding responsible bee keeping allows us to preserve endangered species of bees ''the native British Black Bee'', revitalise their roles in our eco-system, and join the international effort towards an environmentally aware society. In principle participants will take part in beekeeping workshops led by the initiative’s founder Ali, understanding the basics of beekeeping and further uses of the products produced by bees – the initiative takes this as an initial step towards developing a small community farm where we can place our hives, grow foods, hold all of our workshops and make it a point of sale where our participants can sell their bee products.
Steps to get it done:
The project serves two distinct goals: first of which is environmental; with decreasing Bee populations and the risks that this problem poses, this project would help increasing the local bee population while also supporting a sustainable and organic way for their care. In parallel, Beekeeping can be a therapeutic occupation that provides some extra financial support for the participants in addition to help them overcome anxiety and depression, the project will be open to all interested refugees, with specific focus on women and young adults. In the future, we hope that we will be able to take this project to refugee camps. Our website is under construction but we have invested time in building our social media presence on Instagram, FB and Twitter.
Gallery
Location Hammersmith and Fulham
About the space
Custom Location
Council
London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham
Journey
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Due to the COVID-19 crisis, we've taken the decision to stop this campaign and launch a scaled-down project to provide honey for the local Hammersmith & Fulham community over the coming months. Many thanks for your support. None of your pledges will be taken but we do hope that you will pledge to our new Community Honey by Bees & Refugees campaign at spacehive.com/local-honey. Stay safe #LetsPullTogether
Good news! Our queen made it through winter, she is healthy and laying eggs again! We know it has been tough for everyone but it is wonderful to see people coming together with ideas for helping their community get through the Covid-19 crisis. That's why here at Bees & Refugees we decided to support our local community by setting up food growing projects to help with mental health and food security. We are visiting gardens of vulnerable people -We practice Zero contact policy and all the safety measures- to clean up their garden, sow the seeds and label them. We have also ordered twenty beehives that will bee -pun intended- placed around London next month regardless of the Covid-19 situation, I am also happy to tell you that we observed a great number of bumble bees and solitary bees in H&F, the increase in bee numbers could possibly bee thanks to the huge decrease in air pollution! Please remember to spread the word about our crowdfunding campaign as we need your support now more than ever <3 Thank you and stay safe. Ali
Whoop, 40 people have pledged since fundraising began!
How will the money be spent?Total £37,657
Costs Breakdown
This shows how money raised for the project will be spent. Before entering fundraising these costs will be confirmed by the project's Delivery Manager and verified by the verifier.
Overfunding
This project is enabled for overfunding. If the project hits its funding goal before the end of the campaign period, any extra funds raised will be spent (in order of priority) on:
Total £37,657
Our Volunteer List
Want to help?
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VolunteerRegistered as a community interest company by it's founder Ali Alzein, Bees & Refugees are partnered with Mosaic Initiative, a London based charity providing support to Syrian refugees since 2011. In addition, Ali is working with Hammersmith Council who are offering support through access to refugee resettlement programs, as well as providing physical space for the hives to be located in Hammersmith & Fulham council.
To find out more about the Mosaic Initiatives work see > https://mosaicinitiative.org.uk/
Who is Ali Alzein?
Living in the dense city of London can be an overwhelming experience for refugees, and this is true for Ali who was separated from his family, Syrian homeland, societal connections and connection to nature.
From a young age Ali has spent time around beehives, learning techniques from his grandfather in Syria. Ali returned to beekeeping when he arrived in London, and found it to be therapeutic. It helped him overcome severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms. He is passionate about introducing beekeeping to other refugees, to help them feel a sense of place and purpose in a new community. He is trained in British beekeeping methods, with a focus on organic and natural beekeeping methods.
Project Owner: Bees and Refugees The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.
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