Furniture manufacturer The Senator Group has announced a new collaboration with a bee keeping business as part of its sustainability agenda.

The Senator Group has partnered up with the Bee Centre, a multi-award-winning centre of excellence for bee-related education, and has recently installed to three hives to the grounds at its Accrington site.

“To support our sustainability agenda, in 2023 The Senator Group are focusing on Net Zero, Circular Economy and Biodiversity,” the group said. “We are hoping to implement projects that will have a long term, positive outcome on our natural world, and this is just one example of initiatives being delivered to support our sustainability strategy.

“Right now, we have 30,000 locally bred honeybees in these hives – this number could grow to an amazing 60,000 per hive during the summer months! By improving local honeybee numbers, we help the UK to reduce reliance on the importation of unsuitable honeybee breeds and potential pests and diseases.”

These hives are the first phase of a larger pollinator garden that will support and enhance biodiversity, create habitat for not only honey bees but also other species of bees and pollinators. It will also allow Senator to further collaborate with The Bee Centre to deliver education about bees and their importance to its social, economic and environmental wellbeing.

The Bee Centre said: “Working with businesses like The Senator Group is a key way of developing a robust, native honeybee population. Not only are we installing more beehives which demonstrably increases the number of honeybees in the local area, but we are also supporting the education and awareness regarding honeybees and the wider diversity of bee species and habitats in the UK, which provides longer term, sustained growth for this project. We’re very excited to be at the start of this relationship with The Senator Group.”

Lianne Smith, ‪Group IMS and Sustainability Manager at The Senator Group, commented: “I’m so proud that we’ve been able to deliver this project. Alongside our tree planting scheme, this initiative represents the company’s commitment to improving biodiversity. Protecting our bees is especially important as we face the climate emergency. If action is not taken, pollinator declines will have serious implications for biodiversity, food production and ornamental gardens, so it’s a real honour to work with The Bee Centre.”