A key part of the work of Transition Liverpool will be to support and promote the many great projects going on in our city region. In her first blog for the site, Steph Colderick met Andrea Ku – a local beekeeper – to hear about how her hives will help support our key workers.
As our key workers continue to protect us and keep the country going, they also continuing to wear their PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), some of which leaves sore marks and bruises on their faces. Andrea Ku, a beekeeper with 30 hives across Liverpool, has launched Bee Workers for Key Workers to help.
Ms Ku said: “I saw pictures of key workers which showed that they had ridges around the eyes and cheeks, and I wondered how I could help. I do not know how to make visors, but I thought I could make some balms that will soothe the skin.” The balms will be made of natural ingredients such as beeswax, shea butter and oils.
Within two days of launching her crowdfunding campaign, Ms Ku had received over half her funding and plans to take the project further. Starting in July she hopes to be able to take on an additional part-time staff member to help her make the products.
Andrea’s hives are spread across the city region, from within the city centre to Bootle Library – which, alongside Formby Library, are the only public libraries in the UK to have active hives. As part of her wider work with B 4 Biodiversity, Andrea also educates all ages about how important bees are for our environment. Now teaching online via Zoom, Ms Ku said: “A lot of people have been going back to basics, thinking ‘I will buy local and grow my own’, things like that. You have got to look after the local bee population.” Bees are vital to our ecosystem as Ms Ku explained: “Bees need pollen and nectar to make their hives work, we need our plants pollinating for fruit and for veg to grow. The services that bees provide are even more important in urban areas.”
Once the world begins to return to some sort of normality post-lockdown, Ms Ku will also be teaching in schools and plans to employ someone to help her to look after bees and to keep Liverpool in touch with nature. With one in every three mouthfuls of food that we eat having been pollinated by bees it is vital they are supported and protected.
“Because Liverpool is urban we have to think about what we grow in our gardens, what is good for us that we enjoy and also what is good for wildlife. So, striking that balance between the two, providing for us and providing for nature, is important.”
It can be easy in a city to perhaps forget about nature, but this project is showing that protecting bees and reaping the benefits of their pollination in our home grown food is possible everywhere, including Liverpool. Not only that, but she is able to use their wax to help our key workers!
There are still a few weeks left on Andrea’s crowdfunding initiative. Please take the time to have a look at her page, Bee Workers to Key Workers, and to spread the news through your own networks.
Steph is a student journalist at LJMU. She loves community stories and reporting on the great work happening across our city. You can follow her on twitter here.
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