The bee project garden within Our Orchard and within other hospital sites is something we are working on with Cardiff University and New Link Wales buzzin project.
The purpose is to establish a Bee Garden in the Orchard at University Hospital Llandough and look at alternative sites for bee hives.
Thelandscape/design/plants/planting of specific flowers will enable local researchers to test for the link with antibacterial strength honey. This project would build on the work of Professor Les Baillie and his colleagues from the School of Pharmacy, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University. They have identified a number of novel plant-derived antibacterial compounds in honey that killed antibiotic resistant hospital super bugs such as MRSA. They have been able to identify the plants whose nectar was the source of these potentially therapeutic compounds.
Please note; No NHS funding will contribute to the development and maintenance of this project.
Who will this benefit?
Patients: Native Welsh wild flowers and bees will enhance the existing patient benefits of the Orchard. The research is now compelling; green spaces have a significant positive effect on physical and mental health. Secondly, it is hoped that this project will contribute to the research knowledge base that may help develop future products that could fight resistant infections and promote the healing of our patients
Environment: The project will enhance the biodiversity of the Orchard and supprt the pollunation of the trees. Bees are an essential aspect of a healthy orchard.
Public: The public are fascinated by bees, particulalry children. The potential for Welsh super-honey and the associated research may also add an extra promotional and educational dimension for both the Cardiff &Vale Charity and Our Orchard.
Staff: Our Orchard in full bloom will provide a welcome breathing space for busy staff to relax and re-charge their batteries. It is hoped that the project will attract staff to volunteer and hopefully become more involved in the Cardiff &Vale Charity. If this is successful, other sites could be developed across the health board.
Everyone: Future Generations Cardiff &Vale Health Board is working to implement the ‘Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015’ and this project contributes to the national wellbeing goals set by the Act, supporting the improvement of the economic, social, environmental and cultural wellbeing of our population. It will develop collaboration between staff, patients, carers, school children, academics in health and support our approach to developing sustainable futures. With the largest NHS Research & Development team in Wales, there may also be opportunities for trials of the potential therapeutics across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
Wales Biodiversity Partnership
Pollinators are an essential component of our environment. Honeybees and wild pollinators including bumblebees, solitary bees, parasitic wasps, hoverflies, butterflies and moths and some beetles are important pollinators in Wales, for crops such as fruit and oil seed rape, clovers and other nitrogen fixing plants that are important to improving the productivity of pasture systems for livestock grazing, and wild flowers.
However, bee and pollinator health and declining populations have been increasingly highlighted as a cause for concern in the UK and globally. The main areas of concern for pollinators are land-use intensification, habitat destruction and fragmentation, disease, the use of agro-chemicals, and climate change, although the importance of each of these and the extent to which they are inter-related is less well known.
Why we need to take action
The benefits of supporting our pollinators are numerous – they are an essential part of healthy functioning ecosystems, providing, for example:
- food production – directly as honey, and indirectly as crops
- a diverse, functioning and attractive environment and supporting:
- health and well being and urban green space
To find out more please read; The Action Plan for Pollinators in Wales
Our Health Meadow - Ein Dôl Iechyd 