Liverpool’s rooftop bees bring new skills and a shared harvest

Above the shops at Liverpool’s St Johns Shopping Centre, an unexpected part of the maintenance routine is bringing people together: looking after bees.

The centre and its maintenance partner, NG Bailey, installed two rooftop hives in 2021 and added a third last year. Five staff have now trained as beekeepers, and this year’s harvest has filled 150 jars of honey.

Maintenance supervisor Kieron Jones told the BBC that the work had given the team another skill. Sustainability manager Suzanne Moses said learning together had strengthened their relationships.

NG Bailey’s account also describes reduced stress and more conversations about neurodiversity. Those are the employer’s observations, rather than measured health outcomes; the hives need continuing care as bee numbers fall over winter.

The learning reaches beyond the roof. Beekeepers already run sessions in local schools, and children at Whitefield Primary in Everton will design this year’s jar labels. The honey will be shared with staff, shoppers, tenants and charities: a small harvest with plenty of people in it.

Sources

• BBC News — Bees create a buzz at Liverpool shopping centre
• NG Bailey — Beekeeping project