School project creates a buzz across Fylde Coast

@b_and_fc : Students across the Fylde Coast have been a hive of activity this summer as they help to grow the area’s dwindling bee population.

Schools from across Blackpool and Fleetwood have been decorating and installing bee houses in a bid to encourage more insects to visit and nest, while conducting their own experiments to discover which houses, colours and locations are the most habitable.

Over 500 students from Armfield Academy, Montgomery Academy, St Mary’s Catholic Academy, Fleetwood High School and Cardinal Allen Catholic High School took part in the project, run by Blackpool and the Fylde College and fully funded by Lancashire careers organisation Future U.

The bee houses have been installed across the school grounds and form the first stage of the college’s plans to make the Fylde Coast a more bee friendly location, by working with more high schools to install larger hives and sow wildflower meadows to encourage larger populations, in addition to harvesting local honey.

While the project was designed to help grow dwindling bee populations and teach pupils about the vital role bees play in our ecosystem, the children also learnt about the value of conservation and scientific experiments with a view to encouraging them to think about a career in science when they leave school.

Samuel Bentley, Curriculum Manager for Science at Blackpool and the Fylde College, said: “It’s been great to plan and provide this activity for local students who may become scientists one day soon. Our bee plan also raises awareness of the variety of science programmes available after high school all over the Fylde Coast, including our own animal science routes at Blackpool & Fylde College.”

Jess Richmond, Senior Coordinator from Future U added: “Careers in science can take plenty of different forms, from working with wildlife and conservation, through to studying astrology or engineering. By funding these projects, we can help students to discover a subject that they have a passion for and want to study further at college or even on to university.”

Future U is part of the national Uni Connect Programme, funded by the Office for Students, and continues to support school pupils across Lancashire to encourage more young people to consider higher education and future careers.