• Avanti West Coast 'sustainability champions' join up with Bee Sanctuary Movement to host community event 
• Avanti supports event to 'inspire people to support their work to protect the insects'

Avanti West Coast employees at Stockport and Manchester Piccadilly stations have teamed up with a charity to encourage Greater Manchester residents to support bees.

The intercity operator helped Bee Sanctuary Movement – a Manchester-based volunteer group and registered charity that focuses on rewilding neglected green spaces – to host a special event to inspire people to support their work to protect the insects.

The event was designed to encourage local adults to volunteer time and skills at the Bee Sanctuary, and raised £200 in the process.

Avanti has supported the Bee Sanctuary for two years - last year, the station colleagues worked with the charity to welcome local schoolchildren to learn about bees with interactive sessions to mark World Bee Day.

Making a difference

Joanna Buckley, Community Manager at Avanti West Coast, said: "We want to make a difference to the people and places we serve [...]

"Through our involvement with Bee Sanctuary Movement, we've seen the charity grow from a small volunteer-led project to housing its own visitor centre. We want to continue to support the charity's work and help it forge links with the wider community – especially as it relies entirely on volunteers.

"We'd like to thank everyone who attended the evening and hope it will inspire more people to protect pollinators and boost wildlife in their local area."

Sheila Standard, Coordinator at Bee Sanctuary Movement, said: "Avanti West Coast has been brilliant in helping to get more people interested in the Bee Sanctuary Movement. They bring schoolchildren to the park and support our events to attract people to volunteer, as well as spend time with nature.

"This place is about being in nature and highlighting how precious it is. If you don't know what nature is, you're not going to love and protect it, so by welcoming the community to experience what the charity is all about, we hope to encourage more people to play their part in supporting our work and the environment around them."

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