The Mayor of Bridport, Cllr Dave Bolwell, has officially opened a Bee Garden at the Holy Trinity Church in Bradpole.

The bee garden has been newly-planted with bee-friendly plants, most of which were funded by Joe Hacket from the Bridport Tree Planting group.

Cllr Bolwell commented: "I am heartened by the desire shown to protect and encourage our pollinators and I am aware that other churches in the area and indeed nationally are following this example by committing to provide an area to provide a habitat that attracts and safeguards bees and other vital pollinators.

It is a fact that we simply wouldn't be able to survive without bees. As well as boosting our mood when we see them in our woods and gardens, they're crucial to our physical health and the health of the wider environment, for as we know, bees pollinate food crops.

"I wasn't aware that in the UK alone, about 70 crops depend on or benefit from bee pollination. While there are other methods of pollination wild bees can pollinate on a much bigger and more efficient scale.

"When I heard on the news this week that studies have shown a dramatic decrease in the number of pollinators in the UK it made me really concerned that life on our planet is under threat from a direction that is only just beginning to be really appreciated.

"On a positive note I am sure that local initiatives like this bee garden and a worldwide reduction in the use of pesticides coupled with an understanding of how nature and mankind can work together in a sound ecological way will help to reverse this worrying trend.

"At the end of the ceremony I was intrigued to hear that, UK wide, the churches have thousands of acres of land set aside for flower meadows, bee gardens and wildlife areas. They are in the process of adding these details into a national database."

For more information visit: www.nbnatlas.org

Bee Friendly Bridport

Bee Friendly Bridport is a new community group established by the team at the Dorset Bee and the Symondsbury School Bee Club.

The group aims to raise awareness of the importance of all pollinators and the risks to them from habitat loss. This includes the actions that individuals, groups and organisations can take to support pollinators and how these actions can have a positive effect on the natural ecosystem and biodiversity within Bridport and its surrounding area.

For further, email [email protected]

Bin twinning

Ahead of the opening of the bee garden, the mayor was asked to take part in a brief ceremony that proclaimed their bin 'twinning' with Masaka in Uganda.

They do not actually have reciprocal bins in Masaka, but rather the Holy Trinity Church has sent a donation to the value of the bins.

Cllr Bolwell said: "My role involved applying stickers to two bins, a definite first for me in ceremonial terms!"