Torre Abbey has launched a new exhibition celebrating bees and other popular pollinators which will run until Sunday 4 September.

Torre Abbey has worked with a range of partners to curate the exhibition, including Buckfast Abbey, who have loaned several items linked to bee keeping.

• The exhibition showcases just a selection of the 16,000 known species of bee that can be found world-wide. This includes the UK’s rarest bee, the Six-banded Nomad bee, which that can only be found at Prawle Point in the South Hams.
• The exhibition looks at beekeeping in medieval monasteries and how bees reflected the day-to-day organisation of the cannons who lived at Torre Abbey.
• The exhibition also provides an insight into beekeeping and with a unique observation hive where you can safely watch real bees closeup going about their day-to-day work.
• Groundworks Southwest have also provided case studies about how everyone can help bees and pollinators to thrive.

Councillor Mike Morey, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Environment and Culture, Torbay Council said, “This exhibition created by the team at Torre Abbey provides a fascinating insight into the lives of bees and other pollinators and why they are so essential to our ecosystem. This exhibition comes at a time when many of us share concerns about declining bee populations and are questioning what we can do to help. I would urge you to visit this exhibition with your friends and family and learn about why something so small is so important for our planet as a whole.”

Throughout the summer, Torre Abbey will be buzzing with activities linked to the exhibition, including bee dressing up, trails, honey-based gifts of sale in the shop and honey cake in the café. There will also be a selection of workshops delivered over the summer months, which can be booked through the Torre Abbey website. To find out more, visit www.torre-abbey.org.uk