charity stewards handbook - surrey freemasons · improves pollination of garden crops and flowers...
TRANSCRIPT
Provincial Charity Committee Surrey Provincial Charity Fund Reg No 1136154
Issue date 30th November 2019
SURREY FREEMASONS
Freemasonry
It helps the environment Bees are pollinators which transfer pollen from one flower to another. This fertilizes plants so that they can grow and reproduce. Not only are bees critical to agriculture and growing food, accounting for as much as 30% of the world's food production, they're necessary for wild plants as well. It's estimated that as many as 90% of wild plants rely on pollinators like bees to survive and thrive. Without bees, many of these plants would just die off. Bees don't only help the immediate area where they are kept. They can gather nectar and pollen from miles around, promoting diversity and sustainability throughout the ecosystem that they're a part of.
It is educational It doesn't matter what your age is. Beekeeping can be a rewarding experience whether you are young or old. With adult supervision, it is something children can enjoy. Beekeeping teaches everyone about the life cycles in the natural world around them. It's an excellent way to get children, adults and the elderly to care about the environment and want to be a part of taking care of it.
It's relaxing and can calm stress Like many hobbies, beekeeping is something that you can relax and lose yourself in. Many beekeepers feel that their hobby reduces stress. As an outsider, you might not think that dealing with a community of creatures with stingers would be very soothing. But, once you give beekeeping a try, you may find that it's a very calming experience. Beekeeping allows you an opportunity to forget about your daily problems for a bit and feel at peace with nature.
Other benefits include;
Creates a sense of community Beekeeping brings people together and can help to create friendships and bonds between them. Even when you're talking to non-beekeepers, the average person is still intrigued by the idea. You can always have something interesting to say to strangers at a party.
Improves pollination of garden crops and flowers Bees can help local gardens in your area as well as large, full-scale farms. Just one bee hive is enough to dramatically increase the number of flowers within gardens for a mile or two around their hive. So you're helping to beautify your entire neighbourhood.
You get to dress like an astronaut! This is just subjective, but I think beekeeper suits look pretty. You're like an astronaut bravely exploring a new world. A world of bees!
Surrey Freemasons are keen to promote support for local charities in ways other than making financial
donations. This includes providing new initiatives that can have a variety of benefits to the charity concerned.
Surrey Beemasonry is one such initiative.
THE BENEFITS OF BEEKEEPING
Creating a buzzzzz in Surrey
Surrey Beemasonry is a wonderful initiative design for Lodges and Chapters to engage with their favourite, local charities and good causes. It provides an opportunity to work within our local communities, providing training, education, volunteering and fundraising opportunities. It allows charities to work towards improving their own environment ambitions and more widely creates sustainability in our local ecosystems. It can assist charities with supporting their beneficiaries, whether through educating children or providing mindfulness for people suffering with stress, the benefits are many. To take part and for more information, contact the Provincial Grand Charity Steward via email on
EQUIPMENT The Surrey Beemasonry team will provide funding for the start-up equipment that any charity or organisation will need to get the Beehives up and running. This will include hives, branded with the Square and Compass insignia and protective suits. Full training will be provided in how to maintain all the equipment.
FUNDRAISING Surrey Beemasonry offers charities an opportunity to raise funds through selling products that can be produced by bees. This includes delicious local honey, beeswax products such as candles and mead. These products can be labelled as locally produced by the charity and can be sold to assist the charity in raising funds at local fayres, in their own charity shop and to the families and friends of beneficiaries and donors alike. The possibilities are endless
VOLUNTEER Volunteering is an important part of our community engagement initiative and Surrey Beemasonry provides an opportunity to become a ‘worker beemason’, providing ongoing support to those charities who are taking part. If you are a member of the Surrey Masonic family and have experience in beekeeping then please sign up and help our local charities and good causes and become a Surrey Beemason.
TRAINING AND SUPPORT The Surrey Beemasonry initiative will provide funding for training and support to any charity or organisation that becomes part of the project. Staff from the charity will receive full professional training and a team of Surrey Beemasons will be on hand to provide ongoing support, ensuring that there is always someone on hand to answer questions and help out when needed.
