Symondsbury Primary School could soon have a team of little beekeepers - but it needs the community's help.

The school has been offered the opportunity by local volunteer beekeepers to form a bee club to teach the children all about beekeeping with the chance for them to obtain their junior certificate from the British Beekeeping Association.

The children will follow a syllabus, learning how to keep bees in a sustainable way, understanding life in the hive and the roles honeybees have, as well as being such important pollinators.

A spokesman said: "Did you know honeybees have five eyes, live in a colony with one queen, with up to 50,000 female worker bees and up to 10,000 male drone bees at the height of summer?

"Seventy-five per cent of our food relies on pollination, since the end of the war, our approach to intensive farming has led to loss of habitat and, combined with increased pesticide use, this has significantly reduced bees and other pollinators in the UK and the rest of the world.

"We need to educate our children now to start the long journey of change to protect our planet, wildlife and food supply."

Six hives are being supplied by the beekeepers but the school needs to raise funds to buy the children protective hive suits. it is also hoped to have a hive with an inspection panel on the outside so that more wary children can see the bees up close without having to fear them.

The spokesman added: "This is such an amazing opportunity for these young children, so please if any individual or local company would like to sponsor a bee suit, they are £30 each. We are also trying to raise £400 for the inspection panel hive. All sponsors will be rewarded with a jar of honey and thank you letter."

As the project expands, the beekeepers would also like to open the beehive to other community groups in the future.

For more information, email [email protected] or call 07494 935650, or contact Symondsbury Primary School on 01308 423502.

Don't forget to sign up to our newsletter below!

You can submit your own news straight to Bridport Nub News by using the 'Nub It' button on our home page. This can also be done for events on our What's On page and businesses, groups and organisations on our Local Listings page , also by using the 'Nub It' button.

Please like and follow our online newspaper on your favourite social media channel. You can find us @BridportNubNews on Facebook and Twitter.