## The Lancashire and North West Beekeepers Association Affiliated to the British Beekeepers Association Lancashire and North West B.K.A (Founded 1882. Reconstructed separately 1899) Registered Charity No 506167 **Handbook and annual reports 2024-5** 1 ## Table of Contents LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ....................................................................................................2 Officers of the Association ....................................................................................................4 Reports 2025 ............................................................................................................................5 Chairs report .........................................................................................................................5 Trophy Officer .......................................................................................................................6 Honorary Treasurer’s Statement of Accounts ........................................................................7 Hon Examinations Secretary Report.................................................................................... 10 Honey Show Report ............................................................................................................ 11 Branch Annual Reports ........................................................................................................... 12 Blackpool and Fylde ............................................................................................................ 13 East Lancashire .................................................................................................................. 14 Lancaster ............................................................................................................................ 16 Liverpool and District ........................................................................................................... 18 Oldham & District ................................................................................................................ 19 Ormskirk and Croston ......................................................................................................... 20 Preston and District ............................................................................................................. 21 Southport and District .......................................................................................................... 22 Northern Region Bee Unit Report ........................................................................................ 24 ## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE** Status Registered Charity Number 506167 Patrons None President Martin Smith General Secretary Diane Drinkwater Independent Examiner (audit) Mr Thomas Gent The Association’s Bank: Metro Bank Trustees: President Mr. Martin Smith; Chairperson Mrs Viki Cuthbertson Treasurer Mr Ian Bickerstaffe General Secretary Ms Diane Drinkwater (elected April 2026) Objectives of the Society: The primary Objectives of the charity are: To promote and further the craft of beekeeping To advance the education of the public in the importance of bees in the environment and the 2 economv. ## **Officers of the Association** President - Mr Martin Smith Chair - Mrs Viki Cuthbertson Vice - Chair - Mr Michael Gardner Hon Gen Sec - Ms Diane Drinkwater Hon Treasurer - Mr Ian Bickerstaffe Hon Convention Officer - Mrs Liane Doree Hon Handbook Sec. - Ms Diane Drinkwater Hon Honey Show Officer -Mrs Elaine Hargreaves Hon Webmaster - Mr Mark Oakley Hon Education co-ordinator - Mrs Viki Cuthbertson Hon Examinations Officer - Mrs Robina Johnstone Hon Examiner of Accounts incoming – Mr Conor Edwards Disease Liaison Officer - Miss Caroline Coughlin Beecraft Rep & Trophies Officer- Mrs Jan Blanthorn Hazell BDI Rep - Mr Martin Smith* ADM Rep -Mr Dave Heaton * It is noted that Mr Smith is also President of BDI. The Council is satisfied that this does not present any conflict of issues 4 ## **Reports 2025** ## **Chairs report** The Association has, had a successful year with our Branches running a variety of training, educational and social events – see their reports in the Handbook. At Association level we have had the always popular Spring Convention and County Honey Show and thanks go to Liane Doree and Elaine Hargreaves and their teams for making these events so enjoyable for us all. Training has been a large part of the work of the Association, with a goodly number of members taking and passing their Basics. We also had 2 new Qualified (General Husbandry) and 2 new Master Beekeepers, congratulations to them all. I would like to thank all those involved in running the training offered, as tutors, both theory and practical, as mentors and as organisers. Attending training, whether or not you sit an exam or assessment improves your skills and your enjoyment of the craft of beekeeping. Thinking of the bees, after all that's why we are all members, it was a mixed year with some lovely weather in the spring, but the hot dry weather in August ate into some of our honey crop. Personally, I tried out my queen rearing skills and really enjoyed the process. I would encourage you all to have a go – even if you only need one queen it's very satisfying to raise a daughter from your best hive and not to need to go down the risky route of buying one in. Finally, I would like to thank all the members of Central Council, the Officers and the Branch Representatives, without you all, the Association could not function. Thanks also go to the Branch Officers and committees who support our work at local level. Keep up the good work, and together we can continue to be a vibrant, successful Association. Viki Cuthbertson Chair 5 ## **Trophy Officer** The repairs are being carried out on one trophy from the Honey Show which although awarded was found to be cracked and therefore kept back. Thankfully Ian Sturgess has been very patient as the old enamel base was costed at £300 to replace and the engraver suggested a woodturner to carve a wooden base instead but this also proved expensive. We are lucky to have our very own woodturner in Chris Carey at Preston branch who is very kindly working on this as we speak. Once it is turned the engraving band can be replaced and all the names moved across. We hope to have this completed soon so Ian can enjoy some time with the trophy before it must be returned for the next show. Jan Blanthorn-Hazell 6 Honorary Treasuref s Statement of Accounts Lancashire & North West BKA 12fAGM •lth• L•n¢oshlrg & North￿1 B￿kO•PersA#10COa1l0n MondaylVApr112ts28 HonornryTr••wrnr* Ststem•ntofACc￿nts I h8¥9 attached copi0softheConsoiKl8twJAcecMJrt$kntho￿rIo3l.0thob￿r2o25. I hBVe aso in¢ludgdtorinforrtwontheCtyJntyaccoumgforiho s•m•p*ltrJ. Some pointsto r#)tea81oi1ry￿'. Incom• l. IncomelorihfrCountyteUduringthey8arty É911 duet08 numberolt8Ctors. 2. Sub8¢1iptsonsie(Juced ty£1.9k. mè1n1y8tt￿brIffieh lthl. 3. r&Jueod ty £6k 1$ submissK*ns haven¢w*begn brw Lwtodat 4. Apioryincome reduced ty£2.Ik duetofmr 8lSOCiation horwsaio1. 5. Ooneiions IncreiJ•d ty£2Ak-mer80yTr8￿9¢CQun1inKfOr£l.5k e. Sal8Stornernbar8 lirKludingthe wbliclincrnosed ty£4k-aSI￿Ir￿t inemso In honey s8185stapiari&4. 7. HoneySh¢74¥S and Educ0￿ L￿fi shtr1￿r￿grty*th. Exp•ndhurn 1. Expthdttur?In¢r¢oJed ty£7.4k 2. C8pitation ieduced ty £1.5k. BDI stsghtly h￿har 3. HoneyShTr*expendftum w0port￿n•￿YIty￿rfhe￿tyr8duCITrI1hefi6td0￿cttt on ho1dl￿theshryws. M8JorBhTr*8tS(*Ahport sh(Y**oJ èsmiUsU￿u1. 4. Subs & tknaw•ng ltrweity£2.3K. priOr￿[IndudoOylH donarknty 8BL4. 5. Educ8tion- con8ist8ntygorw ￿r 6. ￿￿1¢ho$e8￿ resale Incwe6# prowti¢)nat¢to4ol•stomethrnlwthl. QIftAld Subrnlmlons l. Submisyionio HMRCw•s m8dtrlorthetax￿8[82¥l5 al￿ 8mwniedioE5.494 on ￿b$ ot£21,976. For comparison: T&xYear 22123-£21.957-r¢lund £5.489 b. T8xYe8r 2W24- E23￿-re1Und £5.￿• 2. Ailfunds havg be8n Oislrftnrt￿ tothe brnnch 3. Submlwion dth• 2512GiftAidR•iumw￿l b•fftHd•inAprfL Flnanelalpo•ltknn 1. TheAssociation hos bank b81onces￿£l26,153¢2w24.. £116.84918niJ *ocW$h b8lances otÈ5,065123124.. £9.&L591 brinwngtotalasyetsattheend ofth8period 10 £131.21912W24.. £126.0781-An incro88e of É5.141 O¥W1he￿9r. 2. The bBnk surpiysisytrthn& JT¥Jefftsrts thould bemBdeto u11￿.￿1h8Iundsin linewth the object￿￿the ch8rity. ctos1ngbatsncesh￿MrI￿d￿o￿ ￿kin2027 WEtho nysk￿ktoth@Cu￿eMV0sSlolol0f £131k. £31.61t SLtw* 1.tth B O KAC*btyl £19.521 £815 £12.¥ EI.5Z5 115. E10.673 r2.140 e D l Eth £t18ty3 EdL £75 EqL*￿￿ £1.824 CM É15.527 £2.98Z B.D I £14.717 £3.124 E1,499 £1210 É456 £1. £1.957 £11.479 £0 Tryatr¢f £1.9)4 R{￿1 £152 £10 E1C £&7T6 IrmThi £3.007 £f.37T £0 Grwts t811 Cw Ewrw. & R £18 £0 Él. £t.598 £19379 £1.419 & E10J31 £17.579 £OGfft*110knJ • T(al lrtth ¥Jll T•i•l EI01.854 B•* 505 LWry•W•d E3.131 È117.312 £0 £118.619 8•ra8 £128.340 117 £0 £11W1 TItslAw•i• am T•W A•••¥ É11121• £221.W SwJn•d IA /y/z6 /IA136 Exp￿￿1• 2025 Q1,(e6.￿ C•kn frth)I £20,W.S) £0 Ba￿* Irknest £1325 £offt) £0 Éocb) £0 £o.r £19,539. £178. £1,507.47 £1.21023 £534 80 £320.L4) £189.C#) £5,49363 £0￿] Éo.oJ P￿ & s £O.(#J £O.ts] Rwn Hye £55 C#) Iwr £19.955 Th) BBKAC• £1.626 C￿ £1,W 21 Mwnt*s £13)S.24 £216 CO Educ8iK £412 IX) E611 IX) £11,479XI to £164 ￿ &x £1,lJ)J ￿ Ex £0(￿ £1,824 32 Ctiweri £1.957.0) £oIK) £467 50 E474fJJ £11.479.30 Tax Rebmtsfrcrn HIthC £5,493 £320 C#) Educ £1ts) ￿ SJ £¢6 20 £o.¢x) £00) £o.tsi £ooJ É29,038A3 to.￿ Web 711JS Expwthw• E35A91.82 Tfjtsl 61 EO.DJ 0[￿ry C4th 8 £15.358.59 td £o.rA) £12.142.64 £o.¢x) £1114114 £oL £o.ty) £11142.64 £41,181A7 £12.138 £11138￿ Bank tda £18,311.49 E111JU8 £0 £0 £11131A6 £41,181A7 £0 fy) Ur￿ fthJ5 £15,358.51 £60,85021 £0 ￿ WV25 Cq £111MJ6 £9)J5021 nL4ntes¥•kf abA 1613126 ## **Hon Examinations Secretary Report** NOVEMBER MODULE EXAMS (Saturday 15/11/2025) 6 Online 2 In Person (3 applied, 1 withdrew) 1 Cheshire member also joined L&NWBKA exam sitting. Results to candidates in mid-January, on my screen 2 weeks later. I have penciled in a booking with The Living Well WA10 for March 2026 and will confirm it when Module applications close. Thanks to Ian Hinde for his help as my Exam Assistant om the day. BBKA DATES AND FEES 2026 Document much improved. Positives Dates are now given for the opening of applications, making process more manageable. Clear statement of prerequisites for all qualifications. £10 fee for M3 should increase uptake. Less good Fee increases. BH still not counting towards GH as Microscopy does in AH BBKA Forum on Tuesday 9th Dec which I will attend via Zoom. An update from the Exam Board. Viki Cuthbertson has requested board provides feedback from training courses. My thanks as always to everyone involved in L&NWBKAs Education Team Please continue to keep me informed on your training course both Practical and Module. Receiving list of your candidates make my job much easier. Robina Johnstone Examination Secretary 10 ## **Honey Show Report** Lancashire Honey Show 2025 The Lancashire & North West Beekeepers Association Annual Honey Show 2025 was held on Saturday 11 October 2025 at Myerscough College, Bilsborrow. The Show attracted a strong entry across honey, beeswax, mead, cookery, craft, photographic and branch classes, with judges commenting favourably on the overall standard and presentation of exhibits. ‑ The competitive elements of the Show were complemented by two well received talks given by Jane Medwell, which added significant educational value and contributed to a full and enjoyable day for exhibitors and visitors alike. Following completion of judging, the Judges gave their report and the awards were presented by the L&NW BKA President, Martin Smith. Main Winners: - Best Exhibit in Show (Blue Ribbon): Graham Curwen – 6 Matching Jars of Honey (Class 24) - Highest Number of Points in Show (Sir Wroth Lethbridge President’s Cup): Graham Curwen - Highest Points Across Branch Classes (E. McCormick President’s Branch Shield): Lancaster Branch A full list of class results, placings and additional trophy winners is recorded in the official Honey Show Results 2025 document. Thanks, and Acknowledgements: On behalf of L&NW BKA I wish to offer sincere thanks to: - The judges (Joyce Nisbet, Steve Guest, Dave Shannon & Andy Anderson) for their expertise and - constructive feedback; - All exhibitors for the high quality and variety of entries; - The judges’ stewards (Graham Curwen, Josephine Anderson, Kirsti Ashworth & Anne Goodwin), scribes (Caroline Coughlin, Sarah Haynes & Dave Heaton) and volunteers (Steve Hargreaves, Gwen Walton, Chris Carey, Will Hargreaves, Ian Sturgess & Martin Smith) for the setting up and smooth running of the event; - The speaker, Jane Medwell for her entertaining and thought-provoking talks; - Myerscough College for providing an excellent venue; - and anyone else who contributed to help deliver another successful Lancashire Honey Show. Preparations are well underway for the next show which will be held at Myerscough College on Sunday 4th October 2026. Please look out for the schedule which will be finalized and circulated shortly. I look forward to seeing many of you there for another great Lancashire Honey Show! Elaine Hargreaves (Hon. Exhibitions Officer) 11 ## **Branch Annual Reports** Each Branch provides an annual report for this handbook. ## _Branch Contact Details_ Please visit the branch websites for up-to-date contact details and details on how to join Blackpool and Fylde http://www.blackpoolbees.co.uk/ East Lancashire http://www.eastlancsbees.org.uk/ Lancaster http://www.lancaster-beekeepers.org.uk/ Liverpool and District http://www.liverpoolbeekeepers.co.uk/ Oldham & District http://www.odbka.org Ormskirk and Croston https://www.ormskirkbeekeepers.org.uk/ Preston and District http://www.prestonbka.org.uk/ Southport and District http://www.southportbeekeepers.co.uk/ Lancashire and North West BKA https://www.lancashirebeekeepers.org.uk/ 12 ## **Blackpool and Fylde** http://www.blackpoolbees.co.uk/ Looking Back on 2025– A Year of Growth and New Beginnings Despite some challenges in 2024, our branch has gone from strength to strength. Attendance at branch meetings has improved and we have welcomed a wide variety of speakers to the club this year. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we have had to relocate or out apiary. The school where we were based was expanding and needed the space sooner than expected. We considered several locations, but contact was made with a local garden centre, who were keen to support the club. Initial meetings were very positive, and it was agreed to move the hives and clubhouse to the new location early in 2026. One of our biggest successes was establishing a brand-new club apiary at a local school! Our Sunday morning apiary visits have become a fantastic way for members, especially new beekeepers—to connect, share knowledge, and support each other in managing our hives. Our branch continues to make a strong impression at events. The Great Eccleston Show remains a highlight, drawing in 50,000 visitors over two days. Our stand always attracts plenty of interest, with our demonstration hive, honey sales, candle rolling, and more helping to educate the public about the vital role of bees and the benefits of local honey. Last year, we were proud to see our members succeed in the competition classes, bringing home well-earned awards! Our Bee Awareness Day at Lytham Hall is another firm favourite, offering an engaging mix of educational talks, interactive activities, and fun for all ages. Plus, we continue to support local schools by giving talks, bringing along our demonstration hive, and using our specially designed PowerPoint presentation to introduce young minds to the world of beekeeping. Looking ahead, we’re excited to launch an Introduction to Beekeeping Course at our new apiary. We hope this will become an annual event, helping to bring in new members and ensure the long-term success of our branch. Lastly, we’re proud to have around 10 members listed as swarm collectors on the National Swarm Map, playing an important role in responsible beekeeping and conservation. Thank you to all our members for your continued support—we look forward to a buzzing year ahead! 13 ## **East Lancashire** http://www.eastlancsbees.org.uk/ ## In 2025 ELBKA membership rose to 207 members. Club activities were overseen by a committee of 8 members assisted by a group of other members who volunteered for different jobs. The committee met monthly throughout the year. Well attended teaching sessions were held weekly in each of the 2 club apiaries. Our big educational events for members were – A session on hive autopsy + hive sterilisation and cleaning, a half day of training on Bee diseases and disease checking of colonies, a half day of practical demonstrations of swarm control methods, a half day training on colony increase including queen raising and a Basic Assessment course. Shorter practical demonstrations and short talks covering practical beekeeping issues are a weekly event after apiary sessions through the summer. BBKA zoom lectures and other events are advertised to members in our regular club emails and through our private Facebook group. Support for members was provided via our private Facebook group, email and in-person at the apiary. This is a very active ad hoc system whereby members give their time and advice willingly to help other members. 2 taster sessions and 2 ‘Introduction to beekeeping courses’ were held to help people wishing to become beekeeping. ## ELBKA Charitable activities 2025: ## Engagement with schools /children’s community groups This year we worked with the Community Rail Lancashire to provide a joint learning experience for 3 groups of primary school children and cub scouts working from CRL’s centre at ‘The Bunker’ at Accrington railway station – an ecostation. Community Rail Lancashire’s education officer met the children, around 30 per visit, and their teachers at a station local to the school and escorted them by train to the hub at Accrington station. Many children had never travelled by train so this was an opportunity for them to experience rail travel. On arrival in Accrington the East Lancashire Schools team spent 2 hours with the children doing 4 activities – learning about the importance of pollination in growing the foods they eat and making seed bombs. Learning about wax production and rolling candles. Seeing live bees in an observation hive and learning about the honey bee colony and the hives we keep them in. Playing a game based on recalling simple facts about honey bees and tasting honey. After we had finished our activities the children had a picnic lunch, learned about the eco station and rail safety and were then escorted back on the train to their home station. A joint venture with very varied learning content that also gave the children a wonderful day out from school. 2 of our members visited schools and did bee themed educational sessions for a class of children 1 of our members took an observation hive of bees into her university to educate a group of students Community engagement A member who has her hives on an industrial site did a bee educational session for the employees on site on World Bee day. She used an observation hive of live bees, the club’s educational roller banners and other props to illustrate her presentation. A member has presented a talk about beekeeping to 2 different community groups. The club supported Burnley Council’s Autumn festival with a stall for children offering tastes of 5 different honeys and free candle rolling. The children were fascinated to find that all honey may taste good but does not all taste the same. A lot of honey was tasted and candles rolled over 4 hours! 11 members are registered as BBKA swarm collectors. They work as a team communicating by WhatsApp so that any swarm reported can be collected as soon as possible Charitable giving 14 A retiring beekeeper donated all his beekeeping equipment to the club. A volunteer member did the work of clearing his shed and apiary for him. The equipment, which was high quality, was either kept by the club or sold on at very reasonable prices to club members. Approximately 50% of the money raised was donated to ‘Bees for Development’ during the week when matched funding was available. Over £1,200 was raised after adding in the matched funding. Gwen Walton ELBKA Secretary. 19.11.25 ELBKA Chairman report November 2025 Welcome to East Lancashire branch of the BBKA Annual General Meeting (AGM). I am pleased to report the Association has had another successful year and the Committee has provided support and guidance to our members, actively organising club meetings, educational support, apiary sessions at both Offshoots and Gawthorpe Hall, and our Honey Show. This has been noted in the reports circulated prior to the AGM on the 10th November via email. Education we had 8 candidates this year, all passed with credits or distinctions. 1 member completing the Honey Bee Heath and 1 member completing the General Husbandry course and 5 modules passed. 2 introductory courses with 14 candidates becoming members. It's wonderful to see the BBKA values of sharing our knowledge with each other is continuing to happen each year, with a combination of different educational methods. From Introductory courses, apiary sessions, online Zoom meetings and in person club meetings, plus taster sessions. Membership has continued to increase and is currently at 207 up 70 over 5 years. We asked members to renew using the preferred method online and almost everyone has renewed online which has helped the membership secretary complete the process easier than in past years. Apiary both locations have been popular with our members and continue to be well attended, especially for our new beekeepers. The apiary leads have done an excellent job in making sure these sessions are safe and informative, and the colonies flourish, sometimes in difficult conditions. This year was no exception. Surprisingly the honey harvest was lower than expected, despite the fine summer unexpected weather changes must have been a contributor. The harvest has been shared between Offshoots and Gawthorpe, with some jars being available to members to purchase. Beekeeping in our area We are able to report once more there have been no reports of AFB, EFB or Asian Hornets in our area. Swarm Collectors Vici McLean coordinated the swarm collectors WhatsApp and we now have a group working together as a team Website has been updated and due to go live soon. Anne Goodwin has been edited and updating the site to make it easier for all navigate and enjoy the visiting experience. Benefitting members of the public interested in bees, our members and more importantly the Committee members accessing the website to keep content current and informative. New members feedback (Committee) The Committee contacted the new members and received positive feedback. Again highlighted how friendly, approachable and informative the members have interacted with one another. Honey Show in September was well attended and another success including a talks by Damien Barber, Rocco Croft-Senior and John Zamorski. We also had success at the County Show. DARREN HELLIWELL 15.11.2025 15 ## **Lancaster** - http://www.lancaster beekeepers.org.uk/ Membership of Lancaster Beekeepers has remained around 80 for the past couple of years. Lancaster Beekeepers have held training, meetings and socials and participated in a number of community events throughout the year Highlights have included: - Beginners’ course - Bee health day and hive autopsy to review winter losses - Club visit to Mawson’s Garden in Silverdale - Queen rearing training at a member’s apiary - Community Open Day at Lancaster & Morecambe College - Stands with activities, honey tasting and information at Judges’ Lodgings Museum “Bee Day” - and a similar stand at Carnforth Carnival. - Honey extraction demonstration for members - A “Pollinators of Morecambe Bay” game night, which led to some thought provoking - discussions. ## Honey show Following our club success at the Lancashire honey show we revived our own club honey show at our AGM, which proved a popular addition to our programme. ## Outreach work with schools Involvement with local schools has developed this year. We have made a donation to a local special school (Morecambe Road School) this year for beekeeping equipment so they can set up a hive and we provided a free training place for a teacher at the school on our beginners course. We also support an after-school bee club at Bolton-le-Sands Primary School which is going from strength to strength. We are also supporting Bowerham school in Lancaster, who are hoping to establish an apiary in 2026. Shows attended Members have visited both the BBKA Spring Convention and the L&NWBKA Spring convention and have shared their learning at these with other members. Club members participated in the L&NWBKA Honey Show at Myerscough College, and several achieved significant success. Bringing back the Branch Shield was a remarkable achievement. Training This was a positive and productive year for education and training, with a continued focus on supporting beekeepers of all experience levels. On the beginners’ programme, 10 people completed the theory course, and 8 participants continued to practical sessions at the club apiary. We saw high enthusiasm and engagement and welcomed several new active members. Our more experienced beekeepers have also progressed their training. One member achieved a distinction in Module 1, and three members passed the Basic Assessment, two of whom attained distinctions. A practical queen-raising course run over the summer with very positive feedback. An informal mentoring network continues to be a major strength of the club. Experienced members provided valuable advice, reassurance, and hands-on support. For 2026, the beginners’ course is being reshaped with two days of face-to-face lectures and demonstrations, with more existing members being encouraged to pass on their knowledge and experience by leading different sessions. We are very proud that our Training Coordinator himself passed the Advanced Husbandry course and is now a Master Beekeeper! Huge congratulations to him for achieving this very prestigious award. 16 ## Apiary We continue to make good use of our club apiary for practical training sessions, focused on different aspects of beekeeping. Regular working parties take place during the year which also involve good banter and bacon butties! ## Swarm collection We have a nominated swarm collection coordinator and a team of twelve volunteer swarm collectors who liaise with each other over WhatsApp. Last season they collected at least 10 swarms between them. We are holding a swarm collection training session in April 2026 with the aim of expanding the number of members able to collect swarms. 17 ## **Liverpool and District** ## http://www.liverpoolbeekeepers.co.uk/ This report summarises the secretary’s annual update on branch activities, apiary status, member engagement and plans for the coming year. Overall, the branch has experienced a mixed year, with significant colony losses in some apiaries, continued effort to maintain branch activities, and a need to improve attendance and member participation. Apiary Status and Colony Losses Members’ experiences over winter mirrored reports seen nationally: some lost entire colonies while others came through without issue. The closure of the Rice Lane apiary was a significant loss for the branch, although its equipment has been moved to Woolton. Walton apiary also suffered heavy winter losses, and rebuilding work is under way. There is now a clear need for members to help clean, prepare and restore hives at Woolton so they can support future colony expansion. Branch Meetings and Attendance The branch held meetings in February, March, May, June, July, August, September and October, with a varied programme including Asian hornets, bee photography, disease recognition, mead-making, candles and wax, competition preparation, and hive management. The new venue at the Ken Dodd Happiness Hall was praised for its excellent facilities. However, attendance remained low overall, ranging from 7 to 21 members, with an average of around 15. This continues to be a concern, particularly as poor turnout may discourage external speakers from accepting invitations in future. Plans for the Coming Year Three talks have already been arranged for next year. January will feature Keith Bartlett on preparing hives for spring. February will include the first of Peter Lewis’s two sessions on honey tasting and analysis, with a second practical session planned later in the year. In March, Martin Smith will speak about managing colony numbers and swarm control. A planned November talk may have to be cancelled due to the speaker withdrawing at short notice, although efforts are continuing to find a replacement. The aim is to finalise the full annual calendar as early as possible. Communication and Promotion The newsletter continues to be circulated widely by email and is supplemented by printed copies at meetings. Although production has sometimes been delayed, it remains well regarded and was recognised with first place in the newsletter section of the National Honey Show. Promotion of branch meetings currently focuses on members and other Lancashire branches, but there was discussion about widening publicity and possibly holding occasional open meetings to attract new interest and improve attendance. Key Issues and Actions Encourage more members to volunteer at Woolton to restore and prepare hives. Increase attendance at branch meetings to support member engagement and maintain speaker interest. Complete and publish the annual talks calendar as early as possible. Consider broader promotion, including closer collaboration with neighbouring branches and possible open meetings. Improve the timeliness of newsletter publication while continuing print copies for members who prefer them. 18 ## **Oldham & District** ## http://www.odbka.org/ ## Membership & Community Outreach While our total membership numbers are holding steady, we are noticing a shift in our demographics. A few long-standing members have recently scaled back their operations or moved on from beekeeping due to health and financial considerations. While we continue to receive inquiries from the public, our focus remains on turning that initial interest into active, long-term participation. ## Education & Training We have enjoyed a robust educational calendar throughout 2025. Ian Baker, Editor of our monthly newsletter, has been instrumental in keeping our skills sharp, leading both our monthly member training sessions and dedicated workshops for our newcomers. We were also privileged to host guest speakers John Hewitt and Jonathan Downs, whose expertise provided fresh insights for our beekeepers. A major highlight this year has been the monthly family sessions hosted by our Secretary, Catherine Charnock. Held at the local church, these free events allow families to suit up and get "hands-on" with the bees. The feedback has been wonderful, providing a safe and exciting introduction to the craft for the next generation. ## Public Liaison & Future Goals The public’s interest in pollinators continues to grow, with a high volume of inquiries regarding swarms, bumblebees, and wasps. We continue to work closely with the local council to manage honeybee call outs and provide the community with the right resources for other stinging insects. Looking ahead, our Chairperson, Robert Titherington , is set to expand our educational reach. Using the official BBKA-sponsored school kits, he will be heading out to work with local Scout groups and schools to further promote bee welfare and environmental awareness. 19 ## **Ormskirk and Croston** ## https://www.ormskirkbeekeepers.org.uk/ The Ormskirk & Croston District Branch had another active and productive year, with membership standing at 227 and a strong intake from the Introduction to Beekeeping course. As the report notes, *“the Introduction to Beekeeping course this season attracted 26 new members”, and the branch continues to convert a high proportion of trainees into full members. Regular meetings ran throughout ‑ the year, including three well attended summer sessions at Fir Tree Farm, weekly apiary team meetings at both FTF and Aughton, and a full winter programme of monthly talks at New Church House. Both branch apiaries remain in excellent condition, supported by committed maintenance teams who meet several times a week. Honey sales continue to be a major point of engagement with the public, with *“over 1000 jars of FTF, Aughton and Members honey having been sold”*. Education remains a core strength of the branch, with introductory, basic assessment, and winter improvement courses all delivered successfully. Seven members passed the Basic Assessment, several passed modules, and Elaine Hargreaves completed the requirements to become a Master Beekeeper. ‑ The branch also maintained a strong presence in public facing and outreach work. Members delivered ‑ numerous school visits, supported community events, and hosted two well received open days at Aughton Apiary. The branch also contributed significantly to regional shows, with several members winning prizes at the Southport Flower Show. Alongside this, the branch continued its important work in swarm collection and Asian hornet monitoring, with 29 monitors registered and ongoing coordination led by Graham Hull. ‑ ‑ Overall, the branch report reflects a thriving, well organised, and outward looking community. It highlights the breadth of activity undertaken—from education and apiary management to public engagement and examination success—and acknowledges the many volunteers whose contributions ensure the branch continues to run smoothly and successfully. 20 ## **Preston and District** ## http://www.prestonbka.org.uk/ We are a continually active club with 211 members and a thriving teaching apiary. This year we have 22 candidates on our Beginner’s Course who will go on to have practical experience at the teaching apiary under the guidance of a dedicated team of apiary inspectors. They will also be provided with mentors to help them look after their bees. We will be running the Honey Bee Health course again and PBKA has another Master Beekeeper who qualified last year. Improvements are constantly being made to our teaching apiary including the addition of solar panels to give us electricity and lighting on site to aid teaching when the weather is poor. The huge amount of time installing the equipment was given free of charge by one of our members. We hold monthly meetings and a variety of events and lectures. A new WhatsApp group has been formed to let all members know of upcoming meetings and lectures. Our Hive Lab will be running again this year. This has been a very popular initiative which involves two of our members running microscopy courses at the local agricultural college where our teaching apiary is located. Our popular Meet the Bees Taster Days are running again this year. These events encourage members of the public to find out more about our honey bees and take a look inside a hive. In order to help our members we have a system of loaning out equipment and we held our second auction last year which was another great success. The PBKA organises the Lancashire Spring Convention and we have just had the highest attendance at the latest event. We attend shows throughout the year including Garstang Show, Fylde Steam and Vintage Show and Fylde Vintage Farm Show. Our members hold many talks locally on the importance of bees in the environment and to the economy in food production. We have given talks to the WI, adult learner groups, local schools and as far afield as the Institute of Mechanical Engineers Support Network in London. We have also contributed to the sting research being carried out through BDI Ltd and continue to educate the public on the threat from the yellow legged Asian hornet. Our local YLHA coordinator has recently given talks to 16 schools throughout Preston and Chorley. We continue to thrive thanks to a dedicated committee who give their free time to improve our beekeeping skills and keep the public informed on current concerns such as the Asian Hornet and honey adulteration. Kathryn Shield. PBKA Secretary. 21 ## **Southport and District** http://www.southportbeekeepers.co.uk/ 2025 has been an interesting year with a new apiary, new sponsorship and increased membership. Several of our members reported moderate colony losses over winter 2024/25. The season started off slowly and the spring flow was reasonable so members whose bees were in the right condition managed to get a surplus. The summer flow started well and would have been good if the very dry weather hadn’t dried the flow up. Nevertheless, several members reported good yields. No notifiable bee diseases have been reported in our area. Swarming was at a much lower level than usual, but over a larger timescale ranging from the second week in March to the second week in October. Varroa levels were generally low, but a report of a Yellow Legged (Asian) Hornet in October 2025 at the southern end of our area was concerning. Nearby members were contacted and advised to install and monitor suitable traps. All members need to keep a serious lookout for this pest which if it establishes will have a serious effect on our beekeeping activities. We held a Special Meeting in October where members agreed to increase all membership levels by £1, this allows us to cover the additional costs we are now incurring for our banking. During the year we have received an income to the branch from 101 members. We also received Gift Aid for 2024/25 subscriptions. We held two Beekeeping Taster Sessions during the year which were well attended and together with other education courses run by Vinny Greenall, Steve Wakefield, Francine Sagar, and Diane Drinkwater this year brought in 5 times the amount we did in 2024. We had much higher expenses for the Apiary this year, which included moving the apiary; a new shed and ground work; and some new equipment. We were lucky to secure sponsorship for four new hives from The Beatles Story, it is hoped that this sponsorship will continue in a lesser form going forward. The branch also produced an updated Recipe Book which has covered costs and continues to raise additional funds. Overall in the year to October 31st 2025 the branch made a loss, but we continue to have a decent bank balance. Early in 2025, the Apiary was moved from the old site at Hesketh Park, due to ongoing issues, to a new venue in Birkdale. We lost over half of the branch’s hives during the Winter, which we feel was due to spraying of weed killer in Hesketh Park, right next to where the hives were placed. Part of the move included installing a new much larger shed, including groundworks. Many members came along on various days to help out with getting the new site up and running. The new site also gives us a couple of teaching spaces, one inside and one outside but both away from the main apiary. The site has been very successful for us during 2025 with two Taster Sessions being held and two Introduction Courses as 22 well as general learning sessions for all members. We also had five members take their Basic Exam at the Apiary all of whom passed. Our monthly meetings continue to be held at Southport Fire Station with guest speakers giving some very interesting talks on beekeeping subjects, including talks on First Aid; The Beekeeping Year - What Should Happen and Reality for 2025; and Products from the Apiary. Members also carried out talks on behalf of the Branch, engaging further with the general public and schools. Judy and Andy Muchall spoke to Formby Inner Wheel District Interclub and also Wallasey’s Harlequin Group; while Vinny Greenall and Phil Reeves spoke to groups at Broadoak Junior School and Farnborough Road Junior School. During the year we have increased our use of Social Media, answering many questions from the General Public via our FaceBook page, and signing people up to courses. We also successfully improved our profile within the community: Our Apiary Manager was again interviewed by a couple of radio stations, answering questions and talking about beekeeping, photographs of some members were published in Lancashire Life magazine, on Southport Flower Show website and The Beatles Story website. In other outreach we also had a couple of articles appear in the BBKA News and one of our members has secured funding and is progressing with a Bee Troop Community Apiary to help in providing welcome respite for army veterans. The Southport Flower Show continues to be a key event in our calendar, with over 50,000 visitors it was once again a successful profit making element for the branch. There were a number of people who helped deliver a successful show and we would express a huge thank-you to all including: • Those volunteering to help with pre-show preparation, moving items from storage to the show site, setting up the marquee and taking down at the end of the show. - All those members who entered the Honey Show. Overall, we had 31 volunteers who covered 80 shifts. During the 4 days we sold over 900 jars of honey on behalf of members and our apiary. We made over 500 candles with the public (children and adults). We had produced packets of wildflower seeds and together with the new recipe book these proved very popular and sold well. We ran a school’s competition to design a Wheelbarrow Garden for Bees. We had display areas in the marquee covering Honey Bees and Other Insects, including we managed to borrow the Yellow Legged (Asian) Hornet Sculpture from the NBU. The Flower Show was also used to launch four new decorated hives (each hive is decorated with one of the Beatles) with The Beatles Story museum, who were also onsite for a couple of days engaging with the general public. The Judges response to our show was overall positive and they were very impressed with our engagement with local schools. Public feedback was very appreciative of the presentation of the marquee. 23 ## **Northern Region Bee Unit Report** The National Bee Unit no longer publish their regional reports. Data is available on their website in the form of maps which shows the North West region is free of both European and American Foulbrood: https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/diseases-and-pests/reports-charts-and-maps/maps-2 Access to NBU resources is free of charge to anyone. Beekeepers in England, Scotland and Wales can use the online portal to register as a beekeeper and provide details of apiaries to receive email alerts about disease and pest outbreaks in your area. Beekeepers may receive inspections from NBU inspectors as part of statutory disease programme. These inspections are free of charge and can provide a learning opportunity to beekeepers as the inspector will give advice on preventing and identifying honey bee diseases. More information about the Statutory Apiary Inspection programme can be found here: - - - - - - https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/about us/apiary inspection programme/the statutory apiary - - inspection programme 3/ BeeBase contains a wealth of resources for beekeepers. They have a large library of free downloadable beekeeping literature including best practice guides, fact sheets, advisory booklets/leaflets, training videos, online lectures and articles written by the NBU. 24