The Association has run the annual honey show for many years, but it is true to say that it has not attracted much interest from the wider public in the past.
This year is hopefully going to be different. We celebrate the centenary of the Association and the Committee has recognized the need to engage more effectively with Pembrokeshire folk, to promote the protection of bees in general and honey bees in particular.
This is where you, as PBKA members, come in. [Ask not what your Association can do for you but what you can do for your Association – I’m sure that sounds familiar?!].
You will have seen the Show Schedule on the website and there are plenty of sections for you to enter. Whilst we have not put it on the Schedule for this year, there is the late addition of an additional Cup on offer for the person accruing the highest number of points overall!
For those of you new to exhibiting, just make sure that your entries are clean, so no bits of wax or specks of dirt [or bits of bee], jars are filled to the mark [1lb but not overfilled – have you noticed that continuous line around a 1lb jar below the screw threads?], take spare lids in case honey has splashed onto the underneath during transit, no granulation starting and just go for it.
There is also another new Award, the Bad Beekeeping Cup for those beekeepers who have made something of a blooper in their beekeeping activities – and are prepared to admit it! All it takes, apart from courage, is for you to jot your “mistake” down on a slip of paper and pop it into the Bad Beekeeper box at the show or e mail it to jeremypercy@gmail.com
This show is the chance for the Association to really raise the profile of, and the need to protect and support, insect life in Pembrokeshire, but the Committee cannot do it alone.
An attraction at the show, apart from goody bags, a quiz and so on will be the chance for the public to taste honey from around the County, and vote for their favourite. PLEASE would members consider providing a jar of their honey [it has after all been a good year!] so that we have a wide range of honeys for this initiative. You can drop a jar into The Georges, at any time [closed Sunday / Monday] or on the day of the show. And don’t forget to label it please!
Apart from the public, it is also a good opportunity for a social gathering of members, so please do come along [the bar is open] to meet your fellow beekeepers even if you are not exhibiting, to look at the entries and catch up on everyone’s season.
Your support for the show, and your company will be very much appreciated and I genuinely look forward to seeing many of you there.
Jeremy
Chairman PBKA