Our wild pollinators are in trouble. More than half of UK bee, butterfly and moth species have declined in the past 50 years, and 30 species of bees face extinction. But you can do something to help bring them back.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust’s Get Cumbria Buzzing project has just launched a short animation to show how planting flower seeds, whether it’s in a flower pot or window box, in your park or school, can help reverse this decline and give our precious pollinating insects a much-needed boost.

Produced by Haltwhistle Film Project and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, the engaging animation shows a solitary bee searching fruitlessly for food in a flowerless landscape. The bee’s life is changed when people transform their local community into a flower-filled haven for bees and other pollinating insects.

Tanya St. Pierre, Project Manager for Get Cumbria Buzzing said: “We’ve made this short, fun video to inspire people to take action to help pollinators and to show how easy it is to make a difference – you don’t need a big garden to play your part! However small your green space is, you can attract pollinating insects by sewing nectar-rich flower seeds. We think children will love it – school and youth groups have already been having a great time with Get Cumbria Buzzing, planting wildflowers and learning more about the importance of pollinators.”

Tanya St.Pierre, explains what Get Cumbria Buzzing is all about: “Pollinators need our help because in the UK we’ve lost over 97% of our flower rich meadows. This is mainly down to the intensification of agriculture,  increased urbanisation of our villages, towns and cities, and the building and expansion of major road networks. To combat this loss, we’re working with local communities and have joined forces with Highways England and a wide range of partners to take action for pollinators across North West Cumbria. Get Cumbria Buzzing will create 115 hectares of wildflower rich habitat - that's an area half the size of Maryport!”

The next Get Cumbria Buzzing wildflower planting day is on Saturday 28 September at Distington, where volunteers will be planting wildflowers on the verges of the A595 bypass.

To find out more or book a place, contact Cumbria Wildlife Trust on 01539 816300 or email events@cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk – pre-booking essential.

Find out more about the Get Cumbria Buzzing project at

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/about/what-we-do/living-landscapes/wildlife-conservation-projects/pollinators

Get Cumbria Buzzing is a three-year project that includes a wide range of partners who have joined forces to help reverse the decline of pollinators across Northwest Cumbria. It is being developed by Cumbria Local Nature Partnership, and delivered by Cumbria Wildlife Trust. The partners are: Allerdale Borough Council, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation, Copeland Borough Council, Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre, Florence Arts Centre, Highways England, National Trust, Solway AONB and Workington Nature Partnership.

The ground-breaking project will also see Cumbria Local Nature Partnership work with Highways England and Cumbria Wildlife Trust to get local people buzzing with activity to boost numbers of bumblebees and other wild pollinators and halt their decline.

This £1.6 million project has been made possible by National Lottery Players and support from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Highways England, Allerdale Borough Council, Cumbria Local Nature Partnership, Solway AONB, Tesco, Rees Jeffreys Road Fund and Cumbria Waste Management Environment Trust.

Administered by Cumbria Community Foundation, the following organisations have also funded the project: Robin Rigg West Cumbria Fund, Fairfield Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund, Winscales Moor Community Benefit Fund and United Utilities Legacy Fund.