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Manchester is Buzzin! (Dig the City)

news release

Manchester Friends of the Earth showcases its bee-friendly garden as part of urban gardening festival, Dig the City


Join Manchester Friends of the Earth in nine days of events to show how you can help save our declining numbers of bees in your own garden. Situated in St Anne’s Square, Manchester Friends of the Earth will be demonstrating a bee-friendly garden complete with a vegetable patch perfect for pollinators.

The bee-friendly garden will be host to exciting events throughout Dig the City including: a local bee keeper with honey for sale*, bee themed arts and crafts for children, bee hotel making sessions, and seed bomb making. Additionally, during the festival there will be a food waste themed picnic and bee pollinated vegetables courtesy of Fareshare Northwest.

This timely event comes ahead of a consultation on a national bee action plan this autumn and a call from Defra asking people to help make their gardens bee friendly whether they live in the countryside or in towns. [1]

It is estimated that the value of bees to our economy is around £1.8bn if we were to revert to hand pollination. In the declining numbers of bees, two bumblebees species have already become extinct [2] due to our loss of meadows and use of neonicotinoids by farmers. We now only have one honey bee specie left, and we must do what we can to save them by providing them with the right plants for food and the natural habitats they need for shelter. [1]

Catherine Thompson, lead Bee Cause campaigner at Manchester Friends of the Earth said: “We can all do our bit to save our bees. Providing water, food and shelter for bees in our own gardens no matter how big or small is a great way to support these important insects. Come and see us at Dig the City to found out more”.


* Weather dependent

CONTACTS FOR COMMENTS:

Pete Abel, Manchester Friends of the Earth co-ordinator, 07951 642858

Lyndsey Fall, Manchester Friends of the Earth, Press Officer lyndsey@manchesterfoe.org.uk

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bees-needs-public-urged-to-support-pollinators

 

[2] http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/bees_nbap_mps.pdf


[3] Manchester Friends of the Earth is an award-winning environmental campaign group, raising awareness and lobbying for policy changes at a local, regional, national and international level. The group consists entirely of volunteers, and its campaigns are funded by membership fees and individual donations. Up-to- date information is available on the group’s website:
www.manchesterfoe.org.uk Manchester Friends of the Earth is a Licensed Local Group of Friends of the Earth, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

[4] Manchester Friends of the Earth has endorsed Manchester: A Certain Future, an action plan for the city of Manchester to cut its carbon emissions by at least 41% by 2020. For more information, visit www.manchesterclimate.com

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