Schools and Educational Groups
If you are a teacher at a school, run a charity or educational group, or are involved with a project linked to bees, and would like to know more about how the group can help in providing information for a talk or presentation, please in the first instance contact Colin Rees.
We can work to tailor talks and presentations specific to your group, with the aid of resource packs, photographs, a number of props and models and, of course, live bees through the use of an observation hive, allowing you to get up close and personal with the bees!
If you wish to discuss learning opportunities for yourself or a group, please feel free to contact Colin Rees on 01872 501313 or Bajka Pratt, our Education Co-ordinator, on 01726 884379, either of whom will be very happy to offer advice and assistance.
Scroll down to see information about:
1) local courses run by Colin Rees (a longstanding member of the group and former President of the CBKA) in association with Truro College;
2) the Basic Assessment;
3) the BBKA modules;
4) the National Diploma in Beekeeping
BBKA’s “Introduction to Beekeeping”. Learn how to embark upon the craft of beekeeping; choose and acquire your bees and hives; follow the seasonal life cycle of the bees; utilise hive products. Learn all you need to know to become a beekeeper and manage your bee colonies.
This course will run as 10 Monday evenings or 4 non-consecutive whole Saturdays, and costs £92.
The Monday course starts on 13th January 2020, running from 19:00 until 21:00.
The Saturday course will start on 25th January 2020. Subsequent Saturdays are 8th February, 29th February and 14th March, all classes running from 10:00 until 15:30.
Both courses run at Probus CP School, Probus, near Truro. To Enroll call Truro College on 01872 265800 or contact Colin Rees on 01872 501313 for further information. Application forms may be downloaded and printed from here.
Once you’ve been keeping bees for at least a year and would like to increase your knowledge, the next step is the Basic Assessment. This is a largely practical exam with some theory, held in a members apiary in late summer. In order to help prepare for this our Vice Chairman Bajka Pratt tutors a series of revision sessions that go through the BBKA syllabus in depth.
One of the previously successful candidates Michael Perry says of the course:
“Altogether it was a very worthwhile experience to go through and I am sure that my beekeeping has improved greatly since.”
After the Basic Assessment come a variety of BBKA modules and these offer several different routes depending on one’s own particular interests. As a group we will endeavour to support members who would like to specialise further with these modules where practicable. Contact Bajka Pratt in the first instance.
The National Diploma in Beekeeping (NDB) exists to meet a need for a beekeeping qualification above the level of the Certificates awarded by the United Kingdom National Beekeeping Associations.
The Diploma is the highest beekeeping qualification recognised in the United Kingdom and its holders are generally well known figures within beekeeping education. The NDB Board is entirely independent although its members come from a wide range of beekeeping organisations and it has representatives from all the National Beekeeping Associations.
Of particular interest are the two-day short courses which cover a range of topics likely to be of interest to the improver beekeeper – they are intended to help equip the up and coming beekeepers who are or will be mentoring newer beekeepers. The courses are just £75 each thanks to a subsidy from FERA and at this price are likely to fill up quickly.
Further information can be found on the NDB website (http://www.national-diploma-bees.org.uk/short_courses.htm).