Clive has been a beekeeper since the 1960’s. He is one of the best-known and respected beekeeping authorities in Britain and Ireland. Based in Essex, where he runs over 100 colonies for queen-rearing, honey production and pollination. He is a prominent member of the Bee Farmers’ Association, where he has been the Education Officer since 1982. As well as being a bee farmer Clive has studied, worked and presented papers within an international forum for many years and done much work in third world countries. In addition, he has written several books including the indispensable “Practical Beekeeping”.

Paula’s unique naturopathic perspective on beekeeping evolved following her connection between her own miraculous health recovery from Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and that of her honeybees. Believing that what is killing the bees is also killing humans, began a quest of global travel to find where the bees were healthy, and what we can do to maintain the balance of nature, living with bees of all species. Establishing the Bee Programme, and the Beezantium at The Newt in Somerset showed that working in alignment with nature has beneficial results for the bees, business and our environment. Trained honey sommelier and consultant to honey producers and land owners, her work inspires us to listen and learn from the bees. The author of 'Artist to Bees' and 'A Quest for Bees in Bhutan'.

Despite training as a lawyer James Fearnley has spent the last 40 years involved with researching and manufacturing natural medicines from both plants www.herbalapothecaryuk.com and from the beehive www.beevitalpropolis.com . www.natureslaboratory.co.uk For the last 30 years he has focussed on trying to understand the remarkable properties of propolis, In 2011 he created ARC (Apiceutical Research Centre) www.apiceuticalresearchcentre.org to promote both medicines from the beehive and sustainable beekeeping. In 2016 he created IPRG ( International Propolis Research Group) www.iprg.info which brings academics together in international conferences. He is currently developing - BeeArc - The Nature of the Future, a combined Discovery and Research Centre will explore ways in which the honeybee can inspire our social ,economic and cultural life planned to open in summer 2026. James will speak about how research into propolis is now being taken seriously by medical science in the face of the global threat posed by antibiotic resistance (WHO) Propolis can offer a major contribution to the crisis of pharmaceuticals but only if we are prepared to look again at how we define health and medicine

In 2013 Peter Higgs won the RBS Enterprise award at The Prince’s Trust & Samsung Celebrate Success Awards, at spectacular ceremony held in the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, London. Beegone® was then started by Peter Higgs, after realising the importance of honeybees and the serious problems occurring in the UK as a result them being killed. Beegone® specialises in live honeybee and comb removal. Honeybee swarms and colonies are removed from structures or naturally occurring cavities in a safe, environmentally friendly manner and then rehomed. Passionate about educating people and businesses on correct honeybee identification and removal, Peter gives presentations all over the U.K. Peter now employs a full time team of 14 and offers services to both businesses and homes nationwide.

Ged started beekeeping when he was 15, spending a Summer working for a commercial (3,000 hive) operation in France. He got his first hives in the early '80s and went full time in July 1989. Building up the business, focusing on bulk honey production and more recently, queen bee production. He has worked in France, Tenerife, Denmark and at Buckfast Abbey with Brother Adam to help improve his beekeeping. In February 2014 Ged was the first Bee Farmer in the country to be awarded with the status of 'Master Bee Farmer' having reached the highest level in the art, science and craft of bee farming accepted by the Worshipful Company of Wax Chandlers and the Bee Farmers Association of the United Kingdom. He has achieved professional recognition through the licentiateship of the City and Guilds of London Institute. As well as this, Ged has served on the Bee Farmers Association committee for 12 years and in 2017 he was elected chairman of the board of directors. He worked on the Honey Working Party in Brussels, becoming vice-chairman of the group representing all European beekeepers in meetings with the EU Commission. He has also served on the Bee Health Advisory Panel run by the governments Ministry of Agriculture and, more recently, was a member of the Healthy Bees Plan set up by FERA (Food and Environmental Research Agency).

From a Small Island on Lake Victoria: Sustainable Beekeeping Projects with Bees Abroad
Rachel Monger has been involved for many years in beekeeping as part of community development while living in Tanzania. She has worked with women’s groups teaching how to make natural beeswax products and established The Hive, Mwanza, a honey processing centre and shop as an income-generating enterprise linking beekeepers from groups across the region with each other and better markets. She is currently living in Bath and while continuing to support beekeeping training groups and income-generating projects in East Africa, is helping Bees Abroad with project fundraising. Rachel is passionate about the positive impact sustainable beekeeping can have for rural communities and vulnerable people as well as their local environments. She will be speaking about the difference that beekeeping is making for women on a small island on Lake Victoria as she shares about the work of Bees Abroad. Bees Abroad is working to enable communities to empower themselves through sustainable beekeeping. Together with in-country partner organizations and local beekeeper trainers, Bees Abroad educates and mentors communities in appropriate and sustainable beekeeping practices, supporting business creation and environmental care in over 15 countries.

Established in 2018, the National Honey Monitoring Scheme (NHMS) has been working with UK beekeepers to monitor long-term changes in the health of the UK countryside. To do this, the scheme records pollen and pesticides present in honey collected from beehives all over the UK. In this talk we will be taking you behind the scenes at NHMS and sharing the results so far, and explaining what these mean for honey bees and the environment.

I am never happier than being in the great outdoors - above or below the water - with my camera and family members, my area of choice is in the botanical world, but as with all photographers the opportunity to develop a broad interest base soon expands as the countless photographic opportunities arise. This site is mainly devoted to my love of photography and places that have provided the many fantastic opportunities that I have been given. My ultimate ambition is to become a professional photographer and have the opportunity to travel and document more of the worlds wildest places and the nature contained therein.

Once again, LRBKA is pleased to support this highlight of the beekeeping calendar. This year, for the first time, we will be providing a drop-in clinic, aimed both at those who are yet to start their beekeeping and those who are in the early stages of their hobby. You don’t need to be a member of the LRBKA to make use of our clinic. So, if you are puzzled about which hive tool to buy, uncertain whether you should consider a training course, struggling to keep your smoker lit or bewildered by the range of varroa treatments available, then please drop by for a chat.