Council buzzing after winning bee champion award

Bedford Borough Council has created meadows and reduced grass cutting to encourage wildlife to thrive

A council that transformed intensively mown areas into thriving wildflower corridors to help insects and wildlife has won an award.

Bedford Borough Council was honoured with the Bees' Needs Champion Award 2025 for its pollinator-friendly initiatives. It previously won in 2021.

The authority said it had worked to provide food and shelter for animals, as well as "safeguard open spaces from vehicle incursions by planting wildflower-rich landscape features along park boundaries".

Independent councillor Nicola Gribble said: "By creating these wildflower corridors, we are not only safeguarding biodiversity but also enriching the green spaces our community loves."

Areas across the Bedford borough have been created to encourage bugs and bees

Since 2023, corridors at Putnoe Park (also known as Bowhill), as well as open spaces at Newnham Avenue, Woodcote Open Space, and Chiltern Avenue, have created "vital nectar-rich habitats for bees, bugs, and other pollinators", the council said.

"This work supports biodiversity, enhances visitor experience, and encourages the wider community to take action in support of pollinators," it added.

Gribble said protecting pollinators was essential for a "healthy environment and a vibrant borough".

She added: "This award recognises the hard work of our teams and the positive impact we can have when we prioritise nature in urban areas."

The wildlife-friendly schemes were funded through Council Capital Funding.