AAnnua @ BRIDGEND a SEEKEEPERS Bridgend And District Beekeepers Annual Report 2025
Charity No 1159663
Trustees
Greg Nuttgens – Chairman
Ceri John - Secretary
Graham Tierney - Treasurer Membership Secretary Dafydd Pett – Website/social media Manager Jonathan Griffiths – Education Trustee Martin Bullock – Asian Hornet Coordinator
Huw Evans - Trustee Julia Martin – Trustee Janette Davies - Trustee
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B&DBKA Chairman’s report, 1st April 2024 to 31 st March 2025
During the year, the Committee welcomed two new Trustees, Jan Davies and Martin Bullock. Martin has taken on the role of Asian (or Yellow-legged) Hornet Coordinator for the Association. Fortunately, there were no records of the Hornet in Wales, but we remain vigilant.
The 2024 Beginners’ Course was fully subscribed, though as usual the numbers attending declined during the course.
During the year I stood down as organiser for the Beginners’ Course, and Jonathan Griffiths has now taken on the role of Education and Training Officer, organising both the Beginners’ Course, open Apiary sessions and monthly meetings.
The 2025 Beginners’ Course was fully subscribed.
The Association has reviewed and upgraded policy documents as required by the Charity Commission. An updated Risk assessment for working with learners in the Apiary has been produced and approved
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 another visit to the National Botanic Gardens of Wales, to look at the research they are carrying out on bee forage, and a visit to Coed Hills Community Garden to look at the hives managed by Eifion Owen. Our annual Honey Show was well attended, and in October we had a practical session demonstrating honey extraction. Members also set up a stall and display for National Bee Day, in Bryngarw Country Park.
As a result of the decision taken last year not to invite visiting speakers to our meetings, monthly meetings became opportunities for members to discuss a wide range of beekeeping topics. We would be grateful for any offers from members for talks or apiary visits.
Chris Jones, our Apiary Manager and Trustee, has resigned as of June 2025. Over the past few years, Chris has done a huge amount of work in improving and upgrading our apiary in Bryngarw Country Park, and he will be greatly missed.
Greg Nuttgens Chairman June 2025
Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association Registered Charity 1159663
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Accounts for the period 1[st] April 2024 to 31[st] March 2025 prepared using the Receipts and Payments method.
Bank Accounts
Cash on 31[st] March 2025 - Current Account 345.85 Deposit Account 13,879.02 PayPal 0.00 WIX 0.00 £14,224.87
Cash at 31[st] March 2024 - Current Account 417.37 Deposit Account 10,283.75 PayPal 0.00 £10,701.12
Surplus for the year ending 31[st] March 2025 £ 3,523.75
The financial situation in previous years was: -
Year ending 31[st] March 2024 a surplus of £1,463.25 Year ending 31[st] March 2023 a deficit of £2,152.25
Income was from membership fees, shop sales and the sale of Honey from the Apiary. There were no charitable donations in the year.
Following a stock check in January the value of Stock for sale and Apiary equipment in the container at Bryngarw, and at the Garage in Porthcawl on 31[st] March 2025 was:
Stock for Sale £10,100.00 Apiary & Equipment for rent £ 4,911.00
Total £15,011.00
A small quantity of equipment is in the garage we rent in Porthcawl
The stock value is within the value declared to our insurers.
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The total value of Stock (£15,011) and cash (£14,224.87) on 31[st] March 2025 was £29,255.87
The accounts have been audited; a copy of the Auditors report is attached.
Graham Tierney - Treasurer
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BRIDGEND BEE KEEPERS EXAMINATION OF ACCOUNTS I. APRIL 2024 - 31. March 2025 On examination of the association's accounts (01.04.24 - 31.03.25), 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 Embling ACIB Ty Coch The Court Coychurch Bridgend CF35 5EH 29 April 2025 Graham Tierney- Hon Treasurer
Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association Membership report for 1[st] April 2024 - 31[st] March 2025
Membership fees were adjusted from 1[st] January 2025 in line with the WBKA Capitation and BDI insurance premiums.
On 31[st] March 2025, we had a total of 108 paid up members, an increase of 5 from the number registered with WBKA in 2024. The comparison with previous years is as follows: -
2017 - 112 2019 - 95 2021 - 110 2023 - 103 2018 - 109 2020 - 108 2022 – 105 2024 – 103 2025 - 108
In addition, there were 21 Partner Members, one more than 2024. This is the second year we have had named Partner Members following the changes to the WBKA insurance rules in 2023
The total membership for previous years was: -
2018 – 125 2019 – 119 2020 – 116 2021 – 123 2022 – 114 2023 – 119 2024 - 112
Approximately 76% of the membership are individuals, 19% Families the remainder are Schools, Corporate and Members with no bees.
The total number of Colonies insured in 2024 was 694 which is an 8% decrease on 2023: -
2018 – 640 2019 - 693 2020 – 660 2021 - 651 2022 - 649 2023 - 753 2024 - 694 The average number of colonies insured per year is 677
There were 38 members from 2024 that had not renewed their membership (33 in 2023) This includes 10 of the 21 Beginners on the course in 2024.
Graham Tierney - Membership Secretary
AGM Report 2025 Website & Social Media
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Website
This past year has been another period of strong growth and development for the Bridgend Beekeepers Association’s online presence. We have seen continued increases in website traffic, demonstrating sustained public interest in both beekeeping and the work we do. Much of this growth remains organic, which highlights the strength of our search engine optimisation efforts and the value of the content we offer.
In 2025, we focused on refining the user experience for both members and the public. Notably we added a “New to Beekeeping?” section tailored specifically for beginners, providing essential guidance and resources in a clear, accessible format.
Security and transparency remain top priorities. We’ve improved backend functionality to ensure our members-only sections remain safe and userfriendly, particularly in areas like the members shop and document archive. Feedback on these changes has been overwhelmingly positive.
The Asian Hornet awareness page has continued to be a vital resource. With increasing public attention on this issue, we have updated the section with clearer guidance and reporting procedures, which have helped improve public responsiveness and engagement.
Social Media
Our social media platforms have grown both in reach and impact this year. We now have over 428 followers on our public Facebook page and 67 members in our private members-only Facebook group. These channels continue to serve as lively hubs for discussion, advice sharing, and community support.
Throughout the year, we’ve diversified our content to include regular video updates from local apiaries, seasonal beekeeping reminders, and spotlight features on our members and their hives. Our posts on pollinator-friendly gardening and local biodiversity have been particularly well received, helping us reach a wider, environmentally conscious audience.
Conclusion
In 2025, our digital platforms have continued to play a central role in fulfilling the mission of Bridgend and District Beekeepers Association. They have enabled us to inform, educate, and connect — not only with our members but
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with the broader community. As interest in sustainability and biodiversity grows, we are proud to be seen as a trusted, local source of information and inspiration. We are excited to build on this momentum in the year ahead.
Dafydd Pett – Website & Social Media Manager
Education Trustee AGM Report 2025
Since the end of last year, we’ve made our monthly meetings more of a social and ‘in house’ nature giving our members the opportunity to meet up and discuss practical aspects of beekeeping. We’ve also now invited Members to put forward proposals for a discussion or presentation. Meetings so far have included the threat and management of The Yellow Legged Hornet, including from one of our members who has recently moved from France, wax recovery and swarm collection methods. These meetings have been well attended and have produced positive feedback. We hope to continue with this format with hopefully a diverse range of topics and encourage members to come forward with any suggestions.
Jonathan Griffiths - Education Trustee
Yellow Legged Asian Hornet Coordinator's Report
Due to the increasing threat from the Asian Hornet the National Bee Unit requested every association to appoint a Coordinator to liaise with their association's members, the Bee Unit and members of the public.
I was asked if I would be interested (probably due to my many Facebook posts on the subject!) and now been in the role for nearly a year now. Luckily there has not been much to report!
I have attended several online meetings with members of other Welsh associations, the WBKA and various representatives of relevant organisations. The decision was made quite early on to use the name Yellow Legged Asian Hornet so that one of the identifiers became part of the name.
So far, we have been very lucky in Wales as most of the sightings have been in Southeast England. But to ensure we are prepared if it ever does come here, it was suggested we ask people to monitor where they can, to make sure we see it if it does.
I now have over 20 members taking part (more would be most welcome!) so hopefully we will be on top of the situation if it ever does occur.
I have also taken opportunities to talk to various non-beekeepers and hand out and display information leaflets on various notice boards around the area. As I said, luckily there has been no visitors but I feel we are in quite a strong position to react if they ever do.
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Martin Bullock - Yellow Legged Asian Hornet Coordinator
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