BRIDGEND BEEKEEPERS GWENYNWYR PEN-Y-BONT Annual Report 2024
Trustees
Greg Nuttgens – Chairman/education Ceri John - Secretary
Graham Tierney - Treasurer Membership Secretary Chris Jones - Apiary Manager Huw Evans - Association Shop Manager Dafydd Pett – Website/social media Manager Jonathan Griffiths – Trustee Julia Martin - Trustee
1
Chairman’s report, 1st April 2023 to 31 st March 2024
The Committee welcomed a new Trustee, Julia Martin
With the retirement of John Gilbert as Chairman, I was appointed as the new Chairman, other Trustee posts remaining the same. Many thanks to John for his dedication to the Association over a number of years.
The Association has reviewed and upgraded policy documents as required by the Charity Commission, detailing how we deal with complaints, and procedures for working with vulnerable adults and children.
The Association continues to provide training for Beginners, and ongoing support for all members, by means of our annual beginner’s course, Apiary meetings, evening meetings and visits. This year we had a visit to the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, to look at the research they are carrying out on bee forage, and well-known beekeeper Pam Hunter gave a talk on bee Viruses. Our annual Honey Show was well attended, and there were a number of social evenings at Coytrahen Community Hall. There was also a talk on Anaphylaxis, given by an advanced nurse practitioner in emergency care.
Attendance at evening talks given by visiting speakers continues to decline, partly as a result of the fact that WBKA and other organisations are increasingly using Webinars, often presented by prominent beekeepers and scientists, to inform members of the latest developments in beekeeping.
It has therefore been decided to discontinue, for the time being, the use of visiting speakers, who often have to travel considerable distances, at a considerable cost to the Association, only to meet with a handful of members.
Future evening sessions will be organised ‘in house’ with talks and presentations by Association members, and visits to members apiaries will also be arranged. We would be grateful for any offers from members for talks or apiary visits.
Greg Nuttgens June 2024
2
Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association st - st Membership report for 1 April 2023 31 March 2024
Membership fees increased from 1[st] January 2024 due to the increases in WBKA Capitation and BDI insurance premiums.
On 31[st] March 2024, we had a total of 103 paid up members, the same number registered with WBKA in 2023. The comparison with previous years is as follows: -
2017 - 112 2019 - 95 2021 - 110 2023 - 103 2018 - 109 2020 - 108 2022 – 105 2024 - 103
In addition, there were 20 Partner Members. This is the first year we have had named Partner Members following the changes to the WBKA insurance rules.
If the pattern follows previous years, the total membership for 2024/2025 should be between 117 and 120. The total membership numbers for previous years were: -
2018 – 125 2019 – 119 2020 – 116 2021 – 123 2022 – 114 2023 - 119
Approximately 58% of the membership are individuals, 36% Families the remainder are Schools, Corporate and Members with no bees.
The total number of Colonies insured on 31st March 2024 was 753 which is a 15% increase on the average for the previous 5 years: -
2018 – 640 2019 - 693 2020 – 660 2021 - 651 2022 - 649 2023 - 753
On 31[st] March, there were 33 members from 2023 that had not renewed their membership (44 in 2023) 8 of the 20 Beginners on the course in 2023 have not renewed their membership.
Graham Tierney - Membership Secretary
3
Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association Registered Charity 1159663 Accounts for the period 1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024 prepared using the Receipts and Payments method.
Bank Accounts
| Cash at 31stMarch 2024 | - Current Account 417.37 |
|---|---|
| Deposit Account 10,283.75 | |
| PayPal0.00 | |
| 10,701.12 | |
| Cash at 31stMarch 2023 | - Current Account 274.92 |
| Deposit Account 8,962.95 | |
| PayPal0.00 |
|
| 9,237.87 | |
| Surplus for the year ending 31stMarch 2024 | |
| £1,463.25 |
The deficit for the year ending 31[st] March 2023 was £2,152
Income was from membership fees, shop sales and the sale of Honey from the Apiary there were no charitable donations in the year.
A stock check was not carried out in January, however the estimated value of stock based on the value on 31[st] March 2023 plus stock purchased between April 23 and March24 is as follows: -
“Shop” & Apiary stock at March 31[st] 2023 £ 7,452.00
Stock purchased in the year 9,182.21
Total £16,634.21 Income from “Shop” sales 8,919.46
Estimated Stock Value on 31[st] March 2023 £ 7,714.75
The stock value is within the value declared to our insurers
The total value of Stock (£7,714.75) and cash (£10,701.12) at 31[st] March 2024 was £18,415.87, the value in 2023 was £21,039.04 a reduction of
4
£2,613.17
The accounts have been audited; a copy of the Auditors report is attached.
Graham Tierney – Hon Treasurer
5
BRIDGEND BEE KEEPERS EXAMINATION OF ACCOUNTS I. APRIL 2023 - 31" March 2024 On examination of the association's accounts {01.04.23 31.03.24), these were found to have been meticulously kept, following standard accounting procedures. The association uses bank current & deposit accounts with money transfers made by cheque, Paypal and BACS, where all transactions had been accurately recorded and monitored. There are no risk areas to be noted. Helen EmblingACIB Ty Coch The Court Coychurch Bridgend CF35 5EH 2" May 2024
Education Ofcer’s report, 1st April 2023 to 31 st March 2024
Beginner’s course 2023
This year, the beginner’s course reverted to its original format, with theory sessions held at Coytrahen Community Hall on Thursday evenings, followed by practical session at our apiary on the following Sunday. However, after the first Apiary session, European Foul Brood was found in one of the apiary hives, resulting in the closure of the apiary for 6 weeks.
We were fortunate in finding two alternative sites to carry out the practical sessions. Apiary Manager Chris Jones kindly allowed us to use his hives at Coed y Mwstwr, and we were able to use the hives at the Coed Hills Community Garden. Many thanks to Eifion Owen and the staff at Coed Hills for this, without which we would have been unable to complete the course.
A total of 23 people signed up for the course, with the majority of participants attending all or most of the sessions, unlike previous years when there has been a considerable drop-off in numbers over the weeks. Thanks to Chris Jones, Jonathan Griffiths and Graham Tierney for delivering both the theory and practical aspects of the course.
After the course was finished, the participants set up a WhatsApp group so that they could keep in touch with each other and with Association events.
Greg Nuttgens education
The Training Apiary Report 01/04/23 – 31/03/24
Land maintenance of the site has continued, with the hedge line being trimmed and maintained at a manageable height with new whips and rabbit guards added to strengthen the hedge as cattle has encroached onto apiary site.
Unfortunately, we have had another outbreak of EFB in the apiary 13[th] April 2023, so this put a stop to the new beginners having full access to site and tuition. On this occasion it was thought best practice to remove all stores, BIAS and destroy by bagging all infected items and being incinerated off site, this however saved a lot of hassle on our behalf. We lost two colonies to EFB the remaining were shook swarm onto new frames and foundation with torched brood boxes. The site was given the all clear on the 6[th] June 2023. From here we carried out several open events for both old and new members.
7
From here the colonies recovered well and colonies lost have been replaced or carried out splits in the apiary. All colonies checked over the quiet season and varroa treatment carried where necessary.
Chris Jones – Apiary manager
Swarm Management
Due to the high volume of calls and difficulties experienced getting volunteers to collect swarms as the season progresses, a decision has been taken by B&DBKA Trustee Board to signpost the public to the WBKA swarm map. The association website has been amended to reflect this change.
Bridgend Beekeepers Association Social Media & – Website Report 2024
Website
Over the past year, we have made significant progress developing the associations online presence with us reaching record numbers of site visits which has been obtained organically via rankings on google and social media which demonstrates a growing interest in beekeeping within our community.
In line with our commitment to fostering community engagement and accessibility, we have made significant strides in enhancing our online presence and the functionality of our website. We have developed new features which give our members transparency such as our archive documents page which features a range of documents, archive reports and forms. We have also improved members only features such as the shop while retaining robust security measures which is our top priority.
Over the years, our educational initiatives have been a cornerstone of our success which is why we have paid particular attention to developing areas for both beekeepers and members of the public to grow their knowledge about bees, but we have also developed an area to educate members of the public about the Asian Hornet and what to do in the occurrence of an Asian Hornet sighting.
Social Media
I am proud to say that our social media presence has grown massively over the past year. We currently have 387 followers on our Facebook page and 59 on our members only Facebook group (@District Beekeepers Association – Members Only) which remains a valuable area for members to share knowledge and ask questions with more experienced beekeepers.
We have focused on providing valuable educational content related to beekeeping, including tips for beginners, updates on beekeeping
8
practices, and information about the importance of bees in our ecosystem. This has helped us establish ourselves as a reliable source of beekeeping knowledge.
In conclusion, both our website and social media channels have played instrumental roles in advancing the mission of Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association. They have not only helped us reach a wider audience and raise awareness about beekeeping but have also facilitated meaningful connections and knowledge sharing within our community. We look forward to building on this progress in the year ahead.
Dafydd Pett - Website & Social Media Manager
9