Members of the Nottinghamshire Beekeepers’ Association (NBKA) have swarmed to thank global packaging giant The Wilkins Group after the firm donated £1,000 to its cause.

The registered charity, which is part of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), has around 300 members with hubs in Hucknall, Newark, Nottingham and, appropriately, Beeston.

The group supports millions of honeybees in colonies across the county, helping sustain nature’s natural balance as well as offering beekeeping courses to budding enthusiasts and talks to local schools.

The cash injection from The Wilkins Group forms part of the firm’s ‘year of giving’ campaign, where the Colwick-based company is supporting a different Nottinghamshire charity for every month of 2025.

Janet Bates, secretary of the NBKA, said:

“It was a massive surprise when we got the call from The Wilkins Group. I was buzzing! It’s a really generous donation and will go a very long way towards helping our hard-working bee population and educating more people about the importance of honeybees."

“We have to protect our pollinators, as they are such an important part of nature’s delicate balance. The more people that become interested in bees and beekeeping, the more the word will spread, so this fantastic donation represents more than just money for us.”

Janet, who has been an NBKA member for the past 16 years, helps to maintain and sustain the association’s hub in Hucknall, one of the Nottinghamshire group’s teaching apiaries.

The Hucknall site currently boasts around 20 hives, which in the high season contain between half a million and 800,000 honeybees.

Justin Wilkins, joint managing director of The Wilkins Group, said:

“When we launched our year of giving campaign, we were amazed at the breadth of different charity groups operating on our doorstep. We’re a successful firm, yet our success relies on the people living and working in our local community, so we have been committed to giving something back to some of the worthy causes operating in Nottinghamshire."

“Nottinghamshire Beekeepers’ Association clearly plays a critically important role in supporting our bee population, which some see as pivotal to our own survival as humans."

“We are delighted to make the NBKA May’s recipient of our year-long campaign – and we sincerely hope it helps take the sting out of their fundraising efforts this year.”

Other charities that have been supported by a £1,000 donation so far this year include Papplewick Pumping Station, Green’s Windmill, in Sneinton, Walesby Forest outdoor activity centre and Stonebridge City Farm.

The Wilkins Group, which, in addition to its Nottingham headquarters, has packaging plants in China, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, is dedicated to improving the environmental impact of industry.

Creating packaging designs and innovations that aim to reduce and ultimately eradicate single-use plastics within the industry, it is already leading the way in alternatives including board trays for food packaging, including the use of compostable materials.

The Wilkins Group is a family run firm that produces food packaging for the likes of Pukka, Pizza Express, Harrods and Cadbury. It also is credited with producing bespoke and award-winning items such as eco-friendly coat hangers and the iconic M&S light-up glitter gin bottles.