New crematorium arrivals make a buzz

Bees

Some new ‘residents’ are settling in at Great Glen Crematorium in Leicestershire – and their arrival is creating quite a buzz.

Three beehives have been installed at the 30-acre site, providing homes for tens of thousands of honey bees.

Great Glen Crematorium is part of Westerleigh Group, the UK’s largest independent owner and operator of crematoria and cemeteries, with 37 sites in England, Scotland and Wales, all set within beautifully-landscaped gardens of remembrance which provide pleasant, peaceful places for people to visit and reflect.

Site Manager Harvey Watson said: “We are in the stunning Leicestershire countryside, surrounded by fields, and I thought it would be a great way to assist local farmers and the community by having our bees going out and pollinating their plants and flowers, bringing a whole new ecosystem to the area.”

Each of the hives can accommodate up to 60,000 bees.

Harvey said: “Most of the honey our bees produce will go to the keeper, but we are going to hold onto a few pots here, and we are going to call the honey ‘Always Bee Remembered’.

“We’ve had a very positive reaction from people who have visited our site; they seem to love the idea and have really welcomed the bees.

“It’s a great way to put ecology on the map, to provide the bees with a nice home, and for them to help local flora and fauna.”

Greenpeace says bees are responsible for pollinating 80% of our wildflowers as well as important crops like apples, beans, squashes and almonds.

But one third of UK bees have disappeared over the past decade, mostly because of the loss of their natural habitat, and if this continues, Greenpeace say there could be “big problems producing enough food”.

Great Glen’s bees join a host of birds, rabbits and even deer which can frequently be seen at the crematorium and Harvey and his team are hoping they will thrive there for many years to come.

To find out more about Great Glen Crematorium, click here.

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