READING town centre was buzzing on Thursday, and it was all thanks to an interactive bee hive.
Members of Nature Nurture set up stall in Blagrave Street to raise awareness of the yellow and black striped insects, as part of the Reading Climate Festival.
Natalie Ganpatsingh said of the Create A Buzz event: “People walk through and see beautiful bee films, taken from around Reading, and hear an amazing soundtrack.
“Our sound artist from A Noisy Silence has been recording real bees.
“It’s all about celebrating Reading’s amazing green spaces and what we can do to help look after our planet.”
Organisers – all wearing bee-coloured T-shirts – welcomed pupils as well as curious shoppers to their installation.
“The reaction has been extraordinary,” Ms Ganpatsingh said. “People are walking out of the hive quite mellowed and mesmerised, and it’s been going so well.”
Those visiting were invited to create some artistic responses, creating bee pictures in hexagons, and then tessellating them on the walls of the Bristol and West Arcade.
“We’re sort of doing a bit of a rewilding takeover of the town centre,” Ms Ganpatsingh joked.
“Bees are really, really important. We sometimes think of bees are about honey, but it’s way more than that.
“We rely on bees for pollination of the food we eat. One in three mouthfuls are thanks to bees and other pollinators.
“They are part of really complex food chains and vital in the whole ecosystem. The whole future of humanity relies on bees … they’re vital.”
