Kent's Plan Bee Competition

If you would like to enter this competition please register now.

As we mentioned at the end of last year we are launching a competition, in conjunction with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, to start in March to find the school that can design and implement the best bee friendly garden or project such as a bee hotel. There are two categories primary and secondary school. There is a cash prize of £1000, to be spent on your choice of environmental project, and an age relevant bee activity day for each category.

Now is the time to register your school as wanting to enter. If you can email Allison.campbell-smith@kent.gov.uk with the following details to register your interest.

• Name of School
• Address of School
• Name of Contact
• Contact Email
• Contact Phone Number
• Type of Project e.g. Garden, Bee Hotel

Please find below some ideas for seeds and plants that you can use with some useful weblinks:

Annual wildflower seed mixes (ideally native species) can be sown in early spring (March) for summer flowering but this alone wouldn’t be ideal for a bee garden (and is short-lived) so perennial wildflowers and/or garden plants should be an important part of any bee garden.

• You can refer to our Gardening for Bees webpage and our Beekind tool on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust website for planting ideas.
• You could start this project in the winter term by designing the garden and fundraising over the winter so you've got money to buy plug plants or ready-grown plants in the spring.

Judging will take place in the middle of June and the winner will be announced before the end of the summer term with the activity day happening at a mutually convenient time.

Contact details

Allison Campbell-Smith, Programme Manager, Economic Development
Telephone: 03000 41 70 40
Email: allison.campbell-smith@kent.gov.uk