The Selby Times

The history of the old park plantation

arkston Ash Beekeepers Association where  invited to set up this apiary in 2008 by brothers Craig  and  Martin Blakey within their “Wild Life Habitat Protection Trust” at the Old park Plantation  a couple of miles south of Church Fenton.                     
 

      The infrastructure for the establishment of the apiary was financed by the Wildlife Protection Trust.

 

      Barkston Ash Beekeepers Association is a long established association, based at Church Fenton, near Tadcaster and the project was in response to the need to promote beekeeping in the area of Yorkshire between Leeds and York. The area is mainly rural but there are fewer beekeepers in the area than might be expected. Recent publicity in the media has highlighted the importance of bees in the environment to pollinate both crops and native flora. The introduction of the varroa mite into the UK in 1992 has resulted in the demise of feral honey bee colonies and therefore the health of the honey bee population is all the more dependent upon beekeepers.

   The apiary will has the following objectives

1. Training new beekeepers
2. Queen rearing and producing nuclei
3. Sharing and developing beekeeping expertise
4. Demonstrations of beekeeping to the public.

     A Committee was set up to over see the apiary. Its members are Andy Dykes, John Fuller and Greg Sharp.
 

      The apiary is situated on the south side of Old Park Plantation over looking arable land. It is   sheltered to the east, west and north, so promises to be a good site.
 

      Work started clearing the site on Saturday 1^st November 2008, and other Saturdays throughout the winter. Undergrowth had to be cut away, a high hawthorn hedge was reduced in size, trees in the way where pulled out by management using a JCB.  Eventually we had a clear area and concrete slabs laid to put stillages on.

      Robin Tomlinson supplied the timber and John Whitaker used his wood working skill to make the stillages.
 

      Our biggest problem was the road leading from the car park to the apiary site.  It had been dug out for the laying of lime stone and eventually macadam.  Once the top soil had been removed it exposed clay. When this became wet it was very difficult to walk on and we slithered all aver the place.  Wheel barrows could not be pushed and had to be towed.
 

      Those giving up their time to clear the site – apart from the Committee where:- Brian Shipley, John Whitaker, Liz Lowe plus her husband and Julia Wharrie.
 

      I went to Thorne’s and purchased national brood boxes, deep frames and supers. Shallow frames I got from National Bee Supplies of Exeter.

      John Whitaker made mesh floors and clown boards for the hives.

      John Bowes of York Beekeepers came up trumps, making us a branding iron to mark our wood work. Greg Sharp and I spent a cold evening branding wood work (fortified with a bottle of my prize winning mead).

      Brothers Craig and Mark Blakey who are behind the scheme where most generous, supplying all we asked for. They put tall posts on three side of the site and then covered them in mesh so that our bees and the public never meet.
 

      I donated one of my colonies on 14 × 12 frames and a Buckfast queen.  A demonstration was given to new beekeepers on doing a shook swarm to get the bees off my deep frames and onto 8½" frames.  On the same afternoon. John Whitaker - who had brought one of his hives to make the site look more occupied – demonstrated a Bailey Comb Change.
 

      The site then soon filled up as the 2009 beginners obtained their own bees.
 

      Two supers of honey had been harvested by the end of June and sold – putting some money back into our coffers to make up for the start up outlay.

      Extracting the honey was an ideal time to demonstrate to our new beekeepers how to uncap frames, spin the honey out and run it into tubs.

      Further demonstrations where given to beginners on treating with Apiguard to reduce varroa infestation and again in early January 2010 with oxalic acid.

My line-up

Hot Chip, The XX, LCD Soundsystem, Fever Ray, Richie Hawtin, Jonsi (Sigur Ros), Delphic, Simian Mobile Disco, Ellie Goulding, Dan le Sac Vs Scrubius Pip, Mumford and Sons, Wild Beasts, Beardyman, Hurts, Japanese Popstars, Aeroplane, Everything Everything, Magda, New Young Pony Club, Tensnake, Chic, Flaming lips, Caribou, Four Tet, Chrome Hoof, Roxy Music, Erol Alkan, Disco Bloodbath

this is why bestival is good to me! 
it allows me to see a whole list of bands that i love, just looking at the line up again has made me giddy.

What is Bestival?

Bestival is an award winning 3 day boutique music festival set at Robin Hill - a beautiful leafy country park (a veritable Garden of Eden!) near Downend and Newport in the heart of the Isle of Wight. The wonderful world of Bestival was born out of ten fun years of pioneering music events and record releases from Rob da Bank's Sunday Best empire. The BBC Radio 1 leftfield DJ had a dream to one day create his vision of how the modern day festival should be. Along with Creative Director and wife Josie da Bank and co founders / partners John and Ziggy from Get Involved that dream is now fulfilled. On a mission to change the face of independent festival culture, the fearless foursome are bringing some magic to the shores of the Solent and spreading the love worldwide.

It's Rob and Josie da Bank's creative vision that sets Bestival apart. Whilst the massive musical brain of Rob ensures the Bestival line-up is the most eclectic you'll ever experience, it's Josie's creative wand that casts its magic over Bestival land. From the most original boutique campsite experience, to the Bollywood Cocktail Bar, fancy dress en mass and even a Hidden Disco, it's this uniqueness that makes Bestival a wondrous world of discovery and adventure that will inspire peace, love and dancing not only in September but all year round...

-The first Bestival, in September 2004

was headlined by Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Zero 7, The Bees, Mylo and Lee 'Scratch' Perry

-Bestival 2005

Royksopp, The Magic Numbers, Super Furry Animals, 2manydjs, The Go! Team and Soulwax take to the stage. 

It set the World Record for the Biggest Fancy Dress Party (10,000 people dressed as Cowboys & Indians!) and was voted the Best Medium-sized Festival and the Most Innovative Festival at the 2005 UK Festival Awards

-Bestival 2006 

headlined by Scissor Sisters, Gogol Bordello, Pet Shop Boys 

won the Best Medium Sized Festival category at the 2006 UK Festival Awards.

-Bestival 2007 

headlined by The Chemical Brothers, Beastie Boys and Primal Scream

won Best Medium Sized Festival. Thank you for voting for us once again!

Bestival Tickets Arrived!!!

...

My tickets for bestival came through today which made me realise its only around the corner so i should get planning! i've decided to use bestival as part of my project as i can show the stages from preparation to the experience of being there, which will allow me to collect a thorough collection of research!

I have started by joining their mailing list and their blog aswell as downloading the ifest app so i can keep upto date with news.

 i have also downloaded bestival's own app!!! they seem so better planned then alot of festivals already...

grammatics are toooooo good!

this week is the last week of the grammatics tour ..FOR EVER! this guys are too good to give up, were going to see them for mine and oliver's birthday, in york (their home town) on 17th and at the brudenell on 20th for olls. my friends martin peel, a graphic designer in leeds and david lindsey a photographer based in leeds worked collaborately to create the artwork for their albums.. i've got to say they are pretty damn good.

a beautiful discovery

today was too nice to sit in doors, we set off on the bikes through the village of ulleskelf and church fenton a road that i've driven down too many times to count and never realised what was hidden in the trees.

this my dear friend is church fenton nature reserve, and a great opportunity to get out my hipstatmatic.

i've fallen in love with this place! 

this will be my no.2 subject

the midnight teaparty

t

good doesn't cut it... it was magical

our midnight teaparty in the hall way at hallgarth for our birthdays, using the new teapot set i had baught my friend we were in endless supply of pastries, cakes and of course... tea! with the disco ball hanging from the ceiling casting shimmering stars around the hall and the table lit by candle light we definately dined in style

at last an iPhone!

i know i'm abit behind on the technology i've been carrying around a brick for 2years now but its done me well, after 5months of being pestered to renew my contract i've finally took it upon myself to get an iphone instead of using my boyfriends 24/7. here it goes...

i think i've just spent a weeks worth of wages on apps already ..oh no!