Boy, 10, campaigns to create pollinator habitats

A 10-year-old beekeeper is campaigning to get roundabouts and verges transformed into pollinator habitats.

Archie, from Addlestone, Surrey, has written to more than 50 councils and even to the King.

Surrey County Council said it was "moving forward" with his plan and was "looking forward" to supporting his cause.

Archie said: "We need to create and provide more habitats and food for the insect population to multiply in greater numbers, to enable them to help sustain our food chain."

"There are many miles of verges and central reservations along with roundabouts that are opportunities to convert from ugly wasteland to healthy wildflower areas to provide pollinator habitats," he added.

The schoolboy has been keeping bees since the age of three.

He has two hives of his own - each with 60,000 bees in them.

In May he took the basic assessment certificate in Apiculture and passed with a credit.

Archie's Save Our Bees campaign has come to the attention of dozens of councils and even royalty.

One of the King's advisors responded to Archie's letter saying His Majesty was "impressed that he took to beekeeping at such a young age and shared his concern for the well-being of bees".

Archie is a member of the Surrey Bees training group, which is run by his grandmother Lorraine.

She said: "I've kept bees for the last twenty years and that love has rubbed off on Archie.

"I'm ecstatically proud of him. He's done so well.

"The ideas all come from him."

Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to [email protected] or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.