We all called the Bees Minister!

Lucy Pearce

27 June 2013

On Wednesday I sent an email inviting supporters to 'Call the Bees Minister' ahead of our British Bees Summit tomorrow, Friday 28 June. And pick up the phone they did!

My email suggested that supporters could leave a message for Bees Minister Lord de Mauley, calling on him to announce a strong Bee Action Plan at the Bees Summit. So many people did this that the staff at the Defra Helpline got increasingly weary during the course of the day.

Although we had talked to Lord de Mauley's office in advance, agreeing which number we should provide supporters with, it seems that they were surprised at the volume of calls.

Some supporters let us know how they got on. One determined woman got through to Lord de Mauley's secretary, spending five minutes "discussing the issues and making the point that this is a serious concern for members of the public".

However a sadly more common experience for many supporters was a disgruntled Helpline staffer rushing to get the caller off the line and giving them an email address for Lord de Mauley. Which many supporters used to great effect.

I read the copies of the emails you sent in and was truly moved by them. These were emails speaking from personal experience and observation, with passion and commitment.

We're sorry if you felt you had a bad experience calling the Defra Helpline. But we do know that you got the message through. The Helpline prepares a daily report back of calls, and reported in the middle of the day a "noticeable upward trend" in the number of calls about bees.

Later in the day Lord de Mauley's office told us that they had received many emails about bees that day. And today (Thursday) saw the hand-in of our 20,000+ signatures petition calling for a comprehensive Bee Action Plan with immediate effect.

So thank you and well done. Every single action taken really does make a difference, especially when we add them all up together. Although it might be uncomfortable, when the target considers us a nuisance, we know we're getting through. We know that Lord de Mauley has heard the message loud and clear.

Roll on tomorrow, and the Bees Summit - where we hope our Bees Minister will announce the strong Bee Action Plan bees so desperately need.

You can still add your name to our petition calling on Prime Minister David Cameron for a Bee Action Plan.

Lucy Pearce, Activism Impact

P.S. In case you're wondering, yes I picked up the phone and called in a personal capacity too.