Charitable bees create a buzz at Piccadilly Place

It’s been a hive of activity at Piccadilly Place thanks to 90,000 bees that live on the development’s roof.
Honey produced by the bees has been sold to tenants raising more than £1,000 for the We Love Mcr charity. The money will be used to fund projects, including the Manchester Rising Stars Fund which supports young people to gain the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to reach their full potential.

Located adjacent to Piccadilly train station, Piccadilly Place is a mixed-use development by Property Alliance Group. With the UK’s bee population in dramatic decline, Alliance enlisted the help of a local carpenter to create two hives on the roof in 2018. Managed by expert beekeeper John Beavan, these have now flourished into a thriving colony.

The bees pollinate from four primary sources within the city and surrounding area; the lime trees that line the local streets as well as brambles, fireweed and Himalayan river blossom found on the riverbanks close by. Pollinating trees within the city increases fruit production which in turn ensures birds, butterflies and other wildlife return each year.

Victoria Russell, Director of Strategy & Partnerships at Alliance said: “Cities can make surprisingly good homes for bees, so introducing the hives was a great way to help encourage more pollinators into Manchester and generate environmental benefits for the city.

“The project is also one of a number of initiatives we’ve put in place to improve sustainability and create greener, more attractive spaces for our tenants at Piccadilly Place. It has been so successful that we’re adding another hive to the roof in March next year and are planning to install a webcam so people can watch the bees in action.”

The cheque was presented to NAME from We Love Mcr following a talk on inner-city bees to Piccadilly Place tenants by beekeeper John.