HARLOW Council, Parndon Wood Nature Reserve and local volunteers are celebrating another success after winning a national Bees Needs Award for 2018.

The award, which is run in conjunction with Defra and Keep Britain Tidy, is for Green Flag Award winning parks and green spaces in England that have made improvements to encourage bees.

The award was presented at Kew Gardens on Tuesday 13 November. Parndon Wood won for its partnership work with the Harlow Bee Keepers Association, and the work carried out by local Wildspace Volunteers based at the reserve that provides a home and food source for pollinating insects.

A representative for Harlow Council said: “Harlow bee keepers have four hives based at Parndon Wood and sell the honey through the Conservation Centre which is run by Harlow Council’s partners ECCO. They also run a bee weekend each year at Parndon Wood, which includes live hive demonstrations, honey tasting, a trail quiz, arts and crafts, candle rolling and more.

“Wildspace volunteers have been opening up glades, relocating plants and collecting seeds to encourage the spread of wildflowers across the reserve, which supports pollinators including the bees. This summer, Parndon Wood had the best display of flowers the reserve had seen for many years, thanks to the ongoing efforts of the Wildspace Volunteers.

“We are extremely proud of the work that’s gone into achieving this award and want to say thank you and well done to all involved.”