Of all the creatures you expect to see on safari, a bumblebee isn't one of them! But in August, Friends of Hadfield Station and Friends of Glossop Station organised a bumblebee safari from Hadfield Station.

The walk was part of an ongoing Buzzing Stations project designed to raise awareness of the importance of bumblebees.

In recent years, there has been a 97 per cent loss of wildflower meadows used by bumblebees. Station groups in High Peak have in the development of their gardens included plants to attract bumblebees. The bumblebee safaris are supported by the High Peak and Hope Valley Community Rail Partnership and rail operator Northern.

Joy Hallsworth from Friends of Hadfield Station, accompanied by Neil Williams from Friends of Glossop Station, showed a dozen children and their families around the station, paying particular attention to a new planter created by two local children Riordan and Finnan. Their passion for conservation led Friends of Hadfield to install a special hexagonal planter for them on the platform earlier this year.

Joy and Neil then took the group to nearby Bankswood Park to the flower meadow there.

Glossop Arts Project has recently installed a new Bee Alive seat in the area for people to enjoy wildlife. This proved an excellent focal point for a fun exchange of bumblebee facts.

Natalie Hazlehurst gave a demonstration of how bumblebees pollinate flowers. The group then walked back to the station keeping a look out for bumblebees especially for High Peak's rarest species the Bilberry Bumblebee!

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