Chairman letter – Nov 2017

Dear Kennet Beekeeper,

First of all, may I welcome all new members to the Association, and thank all those who have remembered to pay their 2018 subscription, and to give a gentle reminder to those who have forgotten to renew their membership that it is due NOW!   Also, thank you to all members who attended our AGM and Honey Show and congratulations to those that won prizes and cups.  All committee members were voted on unanimously and I wish to welcome our new Treasurer William Allen and Fetes Co-ordinator Sarah Benson.

I was most disappointed to see a total of only 32 people at the Wiltshire BeeKeepers Association (WBKA) Honey show at Trowbridge Town Hall.  We did win seven first prizes (congratulations to our winning members). All the cups went to West Wilts BKA who put on a splendid display of honey and bee products. But I have to publicly wonder why we pay £7.00 capitation per person to be members of this umbrella organisation for the BBKA, but which is so badly supported by its membership?  Do we really need WBKA?  What is its purpose? These are questions I will be asking your committee.

And talking of committee work, our first KBKA meeting will be on Wednesday 15 November when we will discuss education, the apiary for next year and the exciting project of a new apiary on Canals and Rivers Trust (CRT) land at Caen Hill.  My long term aim for KBKA is to have an agreement giving us some form of security of tenure for an apiary, so we can apply for grants to erect a shed/cabin/workroom where we can teach on site and store equipment. Hopefully, we will be moving some bees there in the spring for CRT to get used to us and vice versa.

This coming Friday, November 3rd at Bishops Cannings Village Hall SN10 2LA, at 7.30pm we have a great talk with Ged Marshall the well know Queen Breeder.  Some of you may well have purchased bees from him.  He is a popular speaker so I am hopeful of a big audience.  BUT it is FIREWORK night at Bishop Cannings – so parking will be difficult.  The firework parking stewards have, I am told, been made aware of our talk that evening and will allow us to park in the road alongside the hall. If you drive in past the church it is the right hand turn in front of the village hall. Say you are there for the talk and they should let you park.

Hope to see many of you there.

All best wishes to all members.

Robert Carpenter Turner

Chairman Kennet Beekeepers

Tel: – 01672 852265    email:-  chairman@kennet-beekeepers.co.uk