Hello, I’m Rachel, the founder of Wings & Radicles.
My story
The bee-ginning
My first experience with beekeeping was in 2016 when I stumbled across a social media advert for a beekeeping course – the ‘Bee You’ project run by Women’s Organisation, Blackburne House. Beekeeping wasn’t something I’d ever given a second thought to, but something about the advert sparked my curiosity and I decided to sign up. From the first lesson, I was hooked! So hooked in fact, that I ended up representing the project nationally, studied for and completed both teaching and assessor qualifications and became a tutor for the very course that I was once a student on.
Pollinating prospects
Though the Bee You project is primarily aimed at school students, in 2018 I was able to teach a one-off workshop for an adult rehabilitation group who were recovering from drug and/or alcohol addiction. They were brilliant. In just half a day, I saw their interest and engagement piqued and I felt that everyone got something good out of the lesson, myself included. I think this group particularly resonated with me because of my own history of mental health issues and when reflecting on my journey from student to teacher, I can see the noticeable improvement that being around like-minded people and having access to nature and green spaces has had on my well-being. With this in mind, I wanted to continue to help people and create a beekeeping community where people can feel safe, learn and have fun.
A Queen bee is born
Early 2020, with the end of a work contract looming, I felt supported and confident enough to know that this was the time to make my vision a reality and so Wings & Radicles was born.
Why ‘Wings & Radicles’?
Wings (Noun)
a means of flight or rapid progress
symbolic of flying high and reaching for the stars. Fueled by self-belief and dedication, and aiming high to create our vision.
Radicles (Noun)
The part of a plant embryo that
develops into the primary root
symbolic of staying grounded; sticking to our values and rooted in the local community. It’s also a play on words for ‘radical’, meaning “an advocate for political or social change.”
Beekeeping Workshops
Education Mission Statement
“Our mission is to make the craft of beekeeping more accessible and diverse by providing educational programmes that are inclusive and promote positive well-being and fun.”
We want our workshops to be available to all and to create a sense of community within the craft of beekeeping. The current demographic of beekeepers in the UK lacks diversity and our mission to change that. Our beekeeping programmes are designed to engage people in environmental education and contribute to the reversal of the declining bee population. Access to nature and green spaces is also proven to beneficial to improving wellbeing and we aim to have a positive impact on mental health through our workshops.
As well as, our beekeeping workshops being available to members of the paying public, Wings & Radicles also offer funded courses for social enterprises or charitable organisations who support underprivileged members of the community. This is to ensure we remain committed to our mission of making beekeeping accessible for all.
Beeswax Products
Product Mission Statement
“The socially responsible and eco-conscious products are handmade using our own beeswax and other bee by-products, supporting local biodiversity.”
Wings & Radicles handmade creations are made using bee by-products. We continue to add to our range regularly, including seasonal specials.
By purchasing our products, you’re helping to fund our education programmes and ultimately contributing toward our goal of protecting the bee population.
Wings & Radicles is an eco-conscious enterprise and we aim to be as green as possible in our manufacturing methods; meaning you don’t have to compromise the health of the planet to receive great quality products.