Skerries Wild Bee Festival 2024

Skerries Mills Community Garden will host the Annual Skerries Wild Bee Festival on July 20th and 21st. Further details to be announced nearer the time.

The festival, now in its third year, is the calendar highlight and celebration of the tremendous conservation work being carried out throughout the town to protect and conserve pollinating insects and associated wildlife. As is generally well known, wild bees are in serious decline both nationally and internationally, mainly due to loss of habitat and natural flora. Over the last few years volunteers and community groups have been working with Fingal County Council to reverse this trend and Skerries Mills is proud to be part of the initiative.

Bee corridors have been established to reconnect populations throughout the town and wildflower meadows created. The work is not completed but ongoing and the project is itself growing year on year. Because of its geographical location the Mills finds itself at the hub of the corridor network and our purposely planned garden is awash with bees and butterflies all through the summer months. Not only that, but it is a team of Community Garden volunteers who organise and run the festival each year.

The festival itself is planned both as an educational event and a family day out. Activities and events include children’s nature-themed arts and crafts, face painting, and a fancy dress competition (bee and butterfly themed of course!) There are talks, workshops and guided walks for adults and all the family, and plenty of literature to help and advise householders in pollinator-friendly gardening.

Oh, did we mention that we now have a strong colony of an endangered species of bumblebee well-established in our garden?

Come along and see it, get the T shirt, and be part of the buzz!

Supported by Fingal County Council, Applegreen, and Skerries Mills.