Game time

This is our third year, so I guess we can call it an annual tradition: playing a game with our stand visitors that challenge their knowledge of the world of bees. As the world’s largest honey show, the National Honey Show attracts thousands of entries and hundreds of visitors each year, giving us the chance to connect with people who share our appreciation for bees. And, of course, to have a little fun along the way!

This year, our game focused on the role of bees as pollinators. Visitors were challenged to match five tropical fruits to their trees: mango, banana, cashew, coffee and chillies. They were then challenged with guessing which one was the odd one out: which fruit does NOT rely on bees for pollination? 

And, as those who took part will now know, the answer was… banana. All the others rely on bees, and they only represent a small number of crops around the world that would suffer without the contribution of bees and other invertebrate pollinators.

We chose these fruits not only because they are familiar and popular, but also because of their importance to the farmers who grow them. Mangoes, cashews and chillies can all contribute to household nutrition and livelihoods, particularly for smallholder farmers as they are staples in their "kitchen gardens". Coffee is the only one of these that is grown as a cash crop and is especially important for farming communities in East Africa, like our beekeepers in the Rwenzori Mountains of Uganda.

Pollination has a global impact

Pollinators play a vital role in global agriculture, not just at the dinner tables of small holder farmers..

While staple crops such as wheat, rice and maize rely far less on insect pollination, 35% of global crop production by volume comes from plants that benefit from pollinators. This includes fruits, vegetable and nuts - as well as luxury produce like cocoa and coffee.

This means that bees, butterflies and other pollinators are responsible for keeping our food diverse, delicious and nutritious. Imagine breakfast without a cup of coffee, or toast without honey, jam or fruits!

It’s all about relationships

As well as enjoying the increased crop yields, farmers can benefit from hive outputs like honey, beeswax and propolis. These can provide a source of nutrition, wellbeing and income for subsistence farmers and remote, rural communities who would not have access to them otherwise.

And, because bees are so sensitive to environmental stressors, they can also provide an insight for farmers into the health of their surrounding ecosystem, such as plants, soil and water.

A thriving hive suggests abundant forage and available resources. A collapsing colony could be an early warning sign of environmental degradation.

Working together

The huge impact that bees and other pollinators can have on the livelihood of farmers is a driving force behind our projects.

We are now gearing up for our Big Give Christmas Challenge 2026, which will support farmers in Kenya and Uganda.

Many rural families in Kenya and Uganda face low, unpredictable incomes due to climate change, poor harvests and limited economic opportunities, with women-led households and young people particularly affected. Working with trusted local partners, we will provide training, equipment and ongoing skills development to help 253 people across 10 communities build sustainable livelihoods through beekeeping and value-added products. And, by developing local trainers, we will help ensure these skills and opportunities continue to benefit communities for generations to come.