Get your group buzzing for gardening with our training courses

We spoke to The Bee Team in Kensal about their experience at our A Year in Your Gardening Club training course earlier this year.

09 October 2022

Have you always wanted to learn how to garden, meet like-minded educators and enjoy a day out getting your hands muddy? We offer a range of training courses across the academic year to help boost your confidence, connect you with educators in your area and set your gardening club up for success.

At our ‘A Year in Your Gardening Club’ training course, we met Jacqui and Karen from The Bee Team, a volunteer-led group established to bring bees, children and young people together in the grounds of a primary school in Kensal. Managing two apiaries and over ten colonies of bees, they were keen to develop the link between beekeeping and gardening. We caught up with them to learn more about their gardening projects and what they took away from the course.

What have you been getting up to in the garden this year?
We’ve recently developed new raised beds full of planting for pollinators. This has also led to two further beds of vegetables that provide year round forage for the bees and pollinators that visit our school. Originally maintained by members of The Bee Team, we are now able to present these as gardening opportunities for a wider cross-section of school and community members.

Why were you motivated to take part in one of our training courses?
We believe that being outdoors is a catalyst for all involved to develop themselves, whether that’s improving mental and physical wellbeing, forming relationships or increasing feelings of self-worth. We were looking for an opportunity to learn more about year round gardening, how to utilise those with our group and expand our project. In particular, we were keen to explore practical activities to take away from the courses, be inspired with new ideas from other participants and see real life examples of what could be possible – this course ticked all the boxes.

What did you learn from the course?
Attending the course confirmed that school gardening is one of the best things we have been involved in. We were inspired by the course tutor who articulated everything we believed in about the power of gardening and being outdoors for children and young people. Pro-active, approachable and empathetic to the gardening situation of the participants, we came away feeling that they had really helped us with our plans and ideas, which was empowering.

How has attending one of our training courses affected your gardening plans?
The course gave us the confidence to try new activities, but more than that, it has reassured us that we are doing something truly purposeful and important. We have since had the confidence to make more plans and hold a community ‘Potter and Plant’ session. Thanks to receiving an RHS Connected Communities Grant, we are also extending our garden with a poly-tunnel, more raised beds and a seating area.

Follow The Bee Team’s progress in the garden on Twitter.

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