This week, the Minister for Environment Hannah Blythyn visited St Davids to officially recognise St Davids achievement in becoming the first Caru Gwenyn/Bee Friendly city in Wales.
“Pollinators are key to our ecosystems, it is vital that they are brought into the forefront of our day to day life and St Davids has done just that,” said the Minister. “This is a fantastic community achievement with local residents, local businesses and local authorities coming together to reach a joint goal. Caru Gwenyn/Bee Friendly is believed to be the first co-ordinated national scheme of its kind and has at its heart: making Wales a pollinator-friendly country.”
To commemorate the achievement, the Minister cut the ribbon to officially open a bee house that will be situated in the centre of St Davids.
The Minister was accompanied by Dr Simon Bilsborough, Welsh Government Land, Nature and Forestry Division, Cllr Cris Tomos, Cabinet Minister for Environment and Welsh Language; Mike Chant, Mayor of St Davids; James Parkin, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority; Anthony Rogers, Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership, Steve Sutcliffe, Biodiversity Solutions, Julia Horton-Mansfield and John Mansfield, St Davids City Open Gardens and Sarah Sharpe and Dr Sarah Beynon from Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm.
Mayor of St Davids, Mike Chant, said:
“I am delighted with our Bee Friendly status and proud of how the community has come together to look after our world-class landscape and wildlife.”
St Davids claims the first citywide accreditation for the Bee Friendly initiative: a scheme that encourages schools, businesses and communities to help combat the decline of insect pollinators by providing them with food and habitat and reducing pesticide use. Acres of new wildflower meadows have been sown, pollinator friendly plants bloom outside businesses and gardens throughout the City and bilingual education boards educate visitors about the variety and importance of British pollinators. St Davids has become a sanctuary for pollinators and a haven for people wanting to learn more about them.
One of the main actions of the new Bee Friendly status is the St Davids Pollinator Trail. The innovative project, pioneered by Dr Beynon’s Bug Farm and supported by Tourism Product Innovation Fund and Biodiversity Solutions, includes two interactive trails linking 18 tourism sites across the St Davids Peninsula.
“Each site will showcase a different pollinator alongside their habitat” Sarah Sharpe, project coordinator, explains. “Aimed at families, the educational trail is completely free to do and links simple conservation with art, science and a sense of adventure!” The St Davids Pollinator Trail launched in August 2018.
