Local biodiversity projects receive donations from sales of knitted bees
Two local community groups have recently benefitted from a donation following the sales of knitted bees created for Dippy on Tour North West.
Ahead of the Dippy Exhibition arriving to Touchstones Rochdale in 2020, the community were asked to knit or crochet a swarm of 500 bees to be displayed in the gallery to highlight the importance of bees and why we need to look after our world. Over 2000 bees were created from individuals and groups in the North West, with some arriving from as far away as Spain.
With so many bees received, money raised from sales of the bees means that two biodiversity projects have received a donation – Petrus Incredible Edible Garden (PIER) and Rochdale In Bloom.
Darren Grice, Deputy CEO at Link4Life, said “We had lots of visitor comments about the fantastic display of knitted bees in the exhibition. Not only did they look beautiful hanging in the gallery, they also helped to explain about the importance messages of sustainability and biodiversity in the future, and how visitors could welcome bees into gardens and green space throughout the North West”.
On receiving the donation, the team at Petrus PIER, a community group run by Petrus which provides supported housing and related services to the homeless people in the Rochdale area, said “We are delighted to have received support through the funds raised from the knitted bees on the Dippy tour to use on our community allotment on Belfield Road. We will use the funds to develop a biodiverse sustainable display that will not only increase the biodiversity on site but will also be used to teach others in our community about how we can use different types of plants to attract wildlife including beneficial pollinators such as bees”.
Rochdale In Bloom, the volunteer community group making Rochdale look blooming, said “We’re really grateful to receive the donation, it was a really nice surprise to hear about it. We will use the money to create a wildflower area that will benefit pollinators. One of the aims of Rochdale In Bloom is to help increase the bio-diversity in the areas we are working. It has been a real privilege to be associated with the Dippy exhibition”.
