Youngsters from a Tavistock school are buzzing with excitement as they collect their first honey harvest.

Pupils at Mount Kelly Prep set up a new beekeeping club in May after members of the eco committee learnt about the importance of bees and their contribution to a healthy environment. 

Dominic Floyd, head of prep, said: “It has been an utter joy to see the enthusiasm from the children and their thirst to learn more about these incredible insects.  Their wide eyes and clear enjoyment have been inspirational and pushes us more to keep teaching the children about their environment and our contribution in helping it thrive.”

To fund four hives at the school, beekeeping club members masterminded three stingingly cool initiatives. First, a Buzzless Silent Auction gave pupils the opportunity to name the hives, with the four highest bidders also receiving one of the first pots of honey. 

Secondly, the Bee Mufti Day invited all pre-prep and prep pupils to dress up and be bees for a day for a £2 contribution, and finally, the Honey Comb Cookie Drive Thru offered hot chocolate and cookies at the end of the day at the prep school. 

Their successful fundraising drive resulted in the arrival of four colonies of honeybees into their new homes. 

Under the expert guidance of Dr Tony Herbert, the Beekeeping Club met weekly to care for their bees and, just four months later, the children have been busy extracting their first harvest – resulting in 18 jars of delicious honey.