Orkney designer Sheila Fleet Jewellery has committed to supporting the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2021 by donating a percentage from every sale of jewellery from their Bumblebee collections.
These donations will go towards supporting the important work done by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, including their project dedicated to saving the endangered Great Yellow Bumblebee.
To mark the start of the charitable collection, Sheila Fleet has launched a new and special addition to the Bumblebee range—the Great Yellow Bumblebee collection—designed to closely resemble the markings of the Great Yellow bumblebee, one of the rarest bumblebees in the UK.
Orkney is one of only five places the Great Yellow bumblebee can still be found and Sheila hopes her new collection will help to further highlight the plight of this rare bumblebee.
Martin Fleet said: ‘We launched the Bumblebee collection in June last year in the original Black & Yellow enamel. We contacted the Bumblebee Conservation Trust and they discussed the Great Yellow bumblebee which is very rare and Orkney is one of the few natural habitats left in the UK where it can be found. We wanted to make a donation which we hope will go some way towards conservation and help raise awareness.’
Each sale also comes with a wildflower seed mix to help customers create habitats that bumblebees and other insects love.”
Tessa Brooks of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust said: ‘The creation and launch of the stunning Great Yellow Bumblebee collection by Sheila Fleet Jewellery is incredibly exciting for us. Their generous support of our work will help us to make our vision a reality – a world where bumblebees are not only thriving, but valued for their incredible contribution to our society.
‘Bumblebees are wild bees – they are iconic, charismatic and captivating insects that provide a vital “free-bee” role in pollinating garden and wildflowers, fruits and seeds for birds and small mammals, as well as much of the food on our plates. The work we carry out relies on the generosity of others, so donations from fantastic supporters – like Sheila Fleet Jewellery – are key in enabling us to carry out vital conservation work to reverse recent declines in UK bumblebee species.’
Sheila has spent many happy days in her garden in Orkney with her grandchildren, watching the bees and trying to spot the rare Great Yellow bumblebee. Days like these inspired Sheila to get out her sketch book and design the Bumblebee collection that is now available for purchase.
The Bumblebee collection is available in sterling silver with Yellow & Black or Great Yellow enamel, beautifully capturing the bumblebee’s original colours, or in Hot Pink or Blue enamels for fun, vibrant alternatives. Sheila’s designs are also available in 9ct yellow gold and a luxurious enamelled 18ct yellow gold version.
When you buy this jewellery, 5% of the nett purchase price (excluding VAT) is donated to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.
The collection is available HERE.
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