Bee aware - Climate Week starts today

Published: Monday 23 September 2024

Bee keeping infographic

To highlight the goals of Climate Week the council is promoting good work being carried out across our communities.

Councillor Norman Rae, the chair of the council’s Climate and Sustainability Committee, said: “During this year’s Climate Week, every community group involved in work to improve our climate and the environment we all live in is being encouraged to share their inspiring stories.

“We are lucky in South Lanarkshire to have so many groups working so very hard to achieve their own goals, playing a small but vital role to tackle the climate emergency we are all facing.

“So I am delighted that this week we will be able to share some of the projects that the council has been able to assist with their own exciting and inspirational projects.”

Groups should share their stories on social media using the hashtag #ScotClimateWeek – more information is also available on the Stories for Change page.

The stories will be showcasing some of the ongoing climate positive activities taking place across South Lanarkshire rather than what is being lost due to climate change.

In Cambuslang, there is a volunteer group that provides training for aspiring beekeepers with hands on experience, honey production and promotes the very important role that honeybees and other pollinators play in the world’s food supply.

bee keeper training day

The Cambuslang Apiary Project (CAP), based in the grounds of the Scottish Fire & Rescue Headquarters in the town, also promotes the importance of supporting biodiversity in nature and how even the small things that everyone can do all adds up to help improve the climate.

CAP was granted £2465 from the Climate Emergency and Resilience Fund in 2023 which was issued by South Lanarkshire Council, utilising UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund monies.

The funding was used to expand the size of the apiary using additional slabbing, buy a new extractor, a pop-up gazebo and educational materials for the public and community groups.

Through the expansion of the apiary the group are now slowly building up the supply of honey to meet demand and provide additional income to help maintain the apiary.

honey being sold at a stall

And the popularity of the bee stall at local summer events, handouts of up to 100 seed packets at each one, together with leaflets on planting for pollinators proved very popular, showing a real success story which the group hopes they will expand upon in the future.

Today we are also highlighting what the Biggar Food Growing Group is doing to counter global climate change.

If you want to help combat climate change please go to the council’s website for more information about what you can do to help the environment and the council’s sustainable development and climate change strategy for 2022 to 2027

Climate Change hourglass