When most people identify as an “animal person”, they’re keen on dogs and cats – but for Chucky, it’s bees. “Bees, they help pollinate everything,” the Bournemouth local tells Big Issue. “If we don’t have the bees, we’ll have no fruit, no veg, nothing. The flowers, everything.” And then there’s the honey. “On toast with jam,” he says. “That’s the best.”
The 42-year-old is about to embark on a beekeeping course. After spending years in and out of homelessness – eight years, on and off, of HMOs and evictions and “starting again” – he is not your usual recruit to the profession. But he’s looking forward to it. “It’s something different,” he says. “I just thought, yeah, why not?”
Chucky works with Bee Mission, a Dorset-based community interest company with an unusual double mission. The organisation has installed 63 beehives across the south of England and is aiming for 500. It also cooks up to 50 hot meals three times a week for people sleeping rough in Bournemouth.
In this week’s issue, we dive into the world of beekeeping and what our pollinator pals mean for the planet. Plus much, much more.
What else is in this week’s Big Issue
Welcome to Brexit Town
Politicians interpreted Brexit as a howl of discontent from Britain’s forgotten towns. Westminster diverted billions towards the shires to make amends. A decade on, residents in Boston, where 75% of voters wanted to leave, say Brexit has changed little.
No Glasto? No problem
There is no Glastonbury this year. But music is still coming to small grassroots venues near you. The Everywhere At Once Festival, run by the Music Venue Trust, Save Our Scene and the Association of Independent Promoters and powered by the National Lottery, is taking place exactly where the name suggests. Across the three days usually reserved for Glastonbury, more than 1,200 bands and artists hit the stage at 500 local venues across the UK.
