The Metro Mayor of the West of England, Dan Norris, brought together local residents, companies, and community groups to award the region’s first-ever Bee Bold Awards, celebrating the West’s best “bee buddies”.   

Schools, businesses and local community groups from across the region were invited to take part. There were five awards across two categories, with Ecus being awarded Joint Winner in the Space for Nature Category, along with the NHS Trust North Bristol.   

This category recognised organisations that created gardens and other pollinator-friendly spaces within their workplaces.  

Ecus asked the management company of their Bristol office to change their approach to the surrounding open spaces.  The mowing and spraying of pesticides was reduced to give nature a chance to recover, and so a previously gravelly area became more botanically diverse, supporting more invertebrate species.

Tim Clark, Ecus’s regional lead for the South West and South Wales, said: "We are delighted to have been selected as a Bee Bold award winner. I think our example is slightly different from many as it actually involved doing less! A constructive conversation with our landlord meant fewer chemicals being used to manage the space, resulting in more plant diversity and therefore food source for pollinators. It’s also a much nicer view from the office window than a barren sea of gravel!

"We help our clients protect the environment every day, and this is an example of how positive communication can benefit both people and nature."

The West of England Combined Authority has expressed their desire to work with partners to support a wide variety of pollinators, acting as an example to other regions from across the country to take similar actions and address the biodiversity crisis in our towns and cities.  

Ecus has a national team of experienced and qualified ecologists and environmental scientists providing a range of ecological services including species-specific expertise, habitat creation and management, landscape design, and biodiversity net gain. 

Find out more on the Ecus website.