Helen Brierley, a director at salad and herb grower Vitacress, has flown to Tanzania to take part in the Big Beehive Build in support of the leading charity, Farm Africa.
Helen joins a group of 13 intrepid women representing all parts of the food industry in embarking on the challenge of a lifetime when they attempt to build 120 beehives in just three days.
Working alongside female beekeepers in Tanzania’s remote Nou Forest region, Helen and the team are attempting to beat the previous record of 90 beehives built by the Farm Africa team on their last visit in 2015.
The hives will be used by women from the local Bermi beekeeping group to build sustainable honey farming businesses that provide them with a steady income as well as an incentive to protect the forest by planting fruit trees to attract more bees.
Helen Brierley, Technical Director, Salads, for Vitacress said: “Farm Africa is a fantastic charity and its fund-raising initiatives are proven to have a hugely positive and beneficial impact on the people and places in which it operates.
I am delighted to represent Vitacress in supporting this truly amazing initiative that aims to help the local women build sustainable food production businesses and can’t wait to start building beehives. I’ve never done anything like this before and although the task will be challenging, the opportunity to experience a different culture will be amazing.”
The Big Beehive Build provides a natural fit with Vitacress’ own sustainable development programme, which embraces four key areas: environment; social responsibility; health and safety; and food safety and quality.
The Big Beehive Build team is aiming to raise £80,000 for Farm Africa. Contributions can be made via the team’s fundraising page which can be found here: www.justgiving.com/BBB17
For more information:
Simon Colvan / Jo Brock / David Gough
Ceres
Tel: 01189 475956