All about Bees

Sustainable Beekeeping weekend course:

Saturday 8 and Sunday 9 July 10am-5.30pm at Hawkwood Nursery

This course is for anyone from absolute beginners to experienced beekeepers who is interested in learning about more sustainable, bee-centric approaches to beekeeping. We will look at the fascinating world of the Honeybee introducing key concepts in their biology and ecology. We will also look at the practice of keeping bees in a warre hive and within a wider ethical framework.

The course is taught by Sean Hearn, Organiclea’s natural beekeeper, is held at Hawkwood Nursery with classroom sessions and some practical/observation work in the Hawkwood apiary.

Course fee £110/70/30 – see guidance on concessions below. Registration and payment is with Sean directly, contact him on seanhearn[at]hotmail.com

Here is footage of Sean catching a swarm last season

Course fee guide

We endeavour to make our courses as accessible as we can by offering a sliding scale. Applicability is described below (separate fee structure applies to accredited courses run with Adult Learning Service).

• The highest fee is for those on an income over £15,000 per year
• The second fee is for those on an income below £15,000 per year
• The third fee is a full concession for anyone with savings less than £3000 and receiving any of the following benefits:
  • Income Support
  • Employment and Support Allowance (income related)
  • Employment and Support Allowance (contributions based) – IF there is no other household income
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (income based)
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance (contributions based) – IF there is no other household income
  • Pension Credit with Guarantee Credit
  • FULL Housing Benefits /Council Tax Benefits
  • Asylum Support: People in receipt of asylum support or who have no recourse to public funds, and no other household income.

Course fees are used to cover tutor costs, materials used and premises running costs. Administration is carried out on a voluntary basis by a number of people.

Refund policy

In order to administer courses effectively we only make confirmed course bookings when we have received full payment (or deposit in the case of permaculture design course). We do understand that sometimes people’s plans change so we are able to offer refunds on the following basis, which helps us to ensure that the costs of putting on courses are covered and that opportunities to attend are maximised.

• If you cancel a booking more than 2 weeks prior to the start of a course we will refund your fees, less a £10 administration charge.

• If you cancel your booking less than 2 weeks prior to the course/event we will not normally make refunds. However if the cancellation is due to a medical condition, bereavement or other exceptional circumstances we will normally refund fees provided that you let us know before the start of the course, again any refunds will be less a £10 administration charge.

• If you do not attend the course without having contacted us beforehand, we are unable to make any refund.

• We reserve the right to cancel courses – a full refund will be made in these circumstances.