As part of the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme we are looking for volunteers to undertake a series of BeeWalks once a week over a six to eight week period. This first Teesdale training session is open to those who already have basic bumblebee identification skills either from attending our webinar on the 5th of May or previous training.

Starting from Bowlees Visitor Centre we will walk down to Low Force and along The Pennine Way towards Middleton-in-Teesdale where there will be lots of early flowering plants. The first hour will cover basic bumblebee identification including catching bumblebees using nets and identifying them in pots. During the second half of the afternoon, we will cover the methodology of a BeeWalk whilst walking a one-mile stretch of The Pennine Way.

Volunteers will need to commit to undertaking specific BeeWalks next to a meadow that will have seed addition this summer. The walks are to be undertaken once a week over a six to eight week period and locations, maps etc. will be provided. We hope volunteers will continue to undertake the same BeeWalks in future so we can see how the bumblebee diversity increases as wildflower diversity increases.

Tees-Swale is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by the North Pennines AONB Partnership in collaboration with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Places are limited and booking is essential – please use the link below to book your place.