A project to fence in beehives at Tedworth House, in Tidworth, will directly benefit military personnel who are in recovery for physical or mental health conditions.
Volunteers from VIVO joined the project, run by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) as part its charity initiative #DIOGivingBack. The VIVO team worked alongside others from DIO suppliers Pinnacle and Amey and its supply chain partners Antac and Gavin Jones Ltd.
Tedworth House is a military Personnel Recovery Centre that runs courses as part of its rehabilitation programmes. VIVO provies Hard FM services at the property. and the courses promote wellbeing, positivity, engagement in team activities, proactive stress management and include projects to develop new skills and interests to aid recovery.
Staff at the facility were looking to reestablish a beekeeping programme for Personnel on Recovery Duty (PRD). To achieve this, there was a requirement to fence in existing beehives on the site and provide appropriate signage, which had fallen into disrepair.
To make this happen, DIO who manages the house and grounds, set up the event, bringing together suppliers and volunteers to build a picket fence around the hives and create flower beds filled with bee-friendly plants. The work was completed in a day and has transformed an unused area of the garden.
Training Officer at Tedworth House Capt Pat Burgess said: “What a fantastic day. The efforts of everyone supporting this event means that we are now in a position to get our beekeeping courses up and running, further down the line, we hope to add another hive and increase the amount of our own honey at the house.
“This project embodies what we do here, it’s not just about securing the future of the hives, which is excellent, this event shows what can be achieved when we work together and focus on creating something that benefits the wellbeing of people and the environment. Seeing the PRD volunteers getting involved, being part of something, is how we re-engage people who may be suffering. A huge thank you to all those involved.”
Amanda Hill, VIVO Defence Services Operations Director, said: “Well done to everybody who volunteered to take part in this great initiative, I am sure all this good work will be a real benefit for residents at Tedworth House.
“I’d also like to extend thanks to our supply chain partner Antac for helping to facilitate this extremely worthwhile day.”