The Archibishop of Canterbury, the Most Revd Justin Welby, has his grandmother to thank for his love of Bees. For she encouraged him to talk to them as a child, taking him to her hives to ‘tell the bees the news’ as instructed by Rudyard Kipling in his poem The Bee-Boy’s Song.

Mr Welby is a patron of the Bees Abroad charity and in this role sent a video message of support to the recent Hampshire Bee Fayre event celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the Rev Charles Butler’s landmark book ‘The Feminine Monarchie’, the first English language book about beekeeping. 

“I often visited the bees and told them my latest news. I do it with the bees here at Lambeth Palace,” says Mr Welby in his video address. Watch it here – https://beesabroad.org.uk/charles_butler_400_celebration/

For more information about the Bee Fayre, Wallbarn’s connection to it and how you can support the UK bee population, please click on the following link – https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1461674967932367