With a third of the UK’s wild bee population in decline*, local housebuilder Barratt Homes is helping children at Guston Church of England Primary School in Dover to make a home for bees in their school playground in celebration of Don’t Step on a Bee Day on the 10th July. The housebuilder, who is building new homes at its Richmond Park development nearby, has given an interactive solitary beehive to the school.

Made from durable FSC certified timber, the hive features removable stacking trays and a selection of entrance holes, and been installed in a quiet and leafy location on school grounds to create a safe home for solitary bees such as orchard, mason and leafcutter bees over the summer. The hive will then be used as an educational aid to teach the children about the importance of protecting our native pollinators, and the role that bees play in supporting the growth and spread of plants and flowers in the local environment.

Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt Kent, commented: “As a responsible housebuilder, we aim to make our developments as nature-friendly as possible, so we are proud to work with Guston Church of England Primary School to create a safe home for one of our most important native pollinators. We hope that the beehive will help to teach the next generation about the importance cohabiting with nature and encourage them to do their bit to save the bees.”

Deby Day, headteacher at Guston Church of England Primary School, added: “With our bees under threat of extinction, we are all going to need to find new ways to share our space with nature. The children were very excited to receive their own beehive, and we are all looking forward to opening up the hive in the autumn term to see if any bees have moved in over the summer, and learn all about how bees live and lay their eggs in the hive. Thank you to Barratt Kent for helping us to make a home for bees at our school.”

Barratt Developments has an ongoing partnership with the RSPB, the UK’s largest nature conservation charity. The housebuilder is on a mission to encourage families at its developments to make small changes to safely co-exist with wildlife.

Barratt Kent is currently building a range of three-bedroom homes at its Richmond Park development in Dover, with prices starting from £309,995.