The Team

Introducing Andrea Jackman

I have been keeping bees now for over 10 years. I began by attending a course in Worcestershire where I was living at the time and was the club representative for the County Executive Committee and one of the swarm liaison members for the club.   In 2011 I passed the Foundation Bee Keeping exam and have attended disease recognition workshops as well as the safaris and inspections organised by the club through DEFRA. 

In 2012 we moved South to Abergavenny and I started using the wax from my hives to start my Pollen Basket business making BeesWax soap from naturally managed bees. In 2013 I began keeping my bees by natural methods and now I only really harvest wax from my bees and a small amount of honey which just about keeps the family sweet.

Introducing Liz Barnett

While not a beekeeper, I care deeply about valuing, nurturing and supporting our bee population in any way that I can.

I work for The Green Valleys CiC and support community groups at the Abergavenny end of the Brecon Beacons. I chaired Abergavenny Climate Action for 4 years before it became Transition Towns Abergavenny, and have developed invaluable contacts in the area. 

My role within BeeCaring is to liaise with other community groups in order to raise awareness of the bee’s plight, improve bee habitats and help educate about Natural Beekeeping.

Introducing Charlie Searl

I also work for The Green Valleys CiC and support community groups in the Brecon and surrounding areas.

I am a new bee keeper inheriting one of my grandfathers hives in March this year. I also have a warre hive and bees as part of The BeeCaring Natural Beekeeping Project, which arrived only last week, keeping both hives at my home in Brecon. As a family though we have always kept bees - my grandfather started in the sixties, and we have 2 more hives at our smallholding in Lower Chapel.

As a beginner I am very interested in managing both types of hives simultaneously and comparing the conventional way of keeping bees to the natural method. I would never use chemicals in any hive and only ever take a small amount of honey ensuring that the bees have plenty for themselves.