Hi – my name is Veronica Brown. I joined Bees Abroad in July 2008, and enjoy being part of a great team of folks who are passionate about helping people in small communities of developing countries world wide. I am the first line of contact, the person who receives the info@beesabroad.org.uk emails, administers the enquiries, reads the correspondence, answers the phone and liaises with the trustees and project managers to make sure your request is actioned or your questions answered as soon as possible. I also keep the web site up to date with the latest and greatest information.
Please bear in mind that Bees Abroad is a small charity who keep their administrative costs low. I try to keep my hours to around eight per week – which means that more money goes to the rural communities. However, I access e-mail every day, and am always available to receive phone messages. So, if you don’t get a reply straight away, please be assured you haven’t been forgotten, we will get there – it just may take a little longer.
We have an expanding team of experienced beekeepers who work with small communities who require our help. These include:
Stuart Andrews: stuart_andrews@beesabroad.org.uk – Uganda
David Blower: david_blower@beesabroad.org.uk – Tanzania
David Bonner: david_bonner@beesabroad.org.uk- Uganda
Neil Brent: neil_brent@beesabroad.og.uk – Sierra Leone
Brian Durk: briandurk@beesabroad.org.uk – instrumental in starting the Kom Beekeeping Project in Cameroon in 1997 prior to the setting up of ‘Bees Abroad’. In his time with us he has been Project Manager and Fundraiser. Presently he manages projects in Adrucom, Ghana
Roy Dyche – Roy is a retired teacher, teacher-trainer and author. He took up beekeeping in the early 1990s and since joining Bees Abroad in 2009 has managed projects in Uganda and Zambia, a country he knows well, having taught there in the 1960s. In 2009 he travelled over 2000 miles around Zambia collecting material on its honey industry for a BBC radio programme. He is a long-standing member of the Dover and District Beekeepers’ Association.
Jo Hiscox: jo_hiscox@beesabroad.org.uk – Cameroon
John Home: john_home@beesabroad.org.uk – Kenya
Beekeeping in the Laikipia area of Kenya
Whilst at Agricultural College I was introduced to beekeeping and this became my hobby. I soon had 10 hives and a growing interest. As my experience grew I was offered a job with the largest Bee Farm in the UK and this made me realise I could achieve this for myself and led to over 30 years making my living from a successful business known as Fosse Way Honey in Warwickshire managing 350/400 hives and marketing the products around the Midlands. I became a member of the Bee Farmers Association and had the honour of twice serving as their chairman.
My retirement came when the business was sold in 2005. It was then that I was introduced to Bees Abroad by one of their project leaders who felt my skills in beekeeping and marketing were ideal to join as a volunteer and learn about helping introduce beekeeping in developing countries.
After visiting a project in Malawi with the late Pam Gregory I was hooked and with the support of my wife became project leader in Kenya. Retirement since 2005 has been so fulfilling sharing and enthusing rural farmers with beekeeping skills to create income for themselves and their families and improving their lives.
When John and I met my career was in nursing and his passion then was beekeeping as a hobby, so we complemented each other have always and been able to work together sharing our interest in the value of honey and hive products. Honey could be used in wound care and nutrition, so I was aware of its value both in the home and in nursing care.
I retired before John and we worked together going to farmers markets enjoyed talking about the hive products by then we had extended the range by adding value to honey and beeswax. These skills have been put to good use in the UK with being very confident helping with the Bees Abroad shop and talking to visitors to the various Agricultural and honey shows which the charity attends
It was beneficial to accompany John on visits to Kenya and soon realised I could help the women improve their income by adding value to the honey and beeswax and began to share recipes with them. It has been a great privilege to see them grow small businesses and create income for themselves to support their families.
Martin Kunz: martin_kunz@beesabroad.org.uk
Martin’s love affair with India is much older than his involvement with bees: He worked for 1.5 years with Non Governmental Organizations in Kolkata in the 1970s instead of doing military service in Germany. Only in 2013 did he start keeping bees in London – and then started to look for bees during business trips to India and came across Under the Mango Tree – the partner of Bees Abroad – which works in particular with Apis cerana – the ‘Indian bee’. Regular business trips (Martin sets up and manages supply chain for organic and Fair Trade products) ensure a regular contact.
Martin is also a member of the Management Committee of International Bee Research Association (IBRA), and a joint owner of Beebop Honeys Ltd. – a small company aiming to bring honey from non traditional bees the Europe.
Trisha Marlow: trisha_marlow@beesabroad.org.uk
Mother of five and Master Beekeeper, works as Project Manager for Ghana co-ordinating the Brong Ahafo Cashew Farmers’ projects, the Bandaman Senior High School project, the Bia Biosphere project and the Nkabom Women’s project in the Brong Ahafo and Western regions with three partner organisations and an expanding team of Bees Abroad trainers. A successful regional training in late 2017 provided 18 beekeeping associations with local mentors to improve their knowledge and practical experience, and the on-going development of Ghanaian extension workers and trainers continues whenever a gap in the schedule permits.
Adebisi New: bisi_new@beesabroad.org.uk – Nigeria
Richard Ridler: richard_ridler@beesabroad.org.uk – Uganda
Dawn Williamson: dawn_williamson@beesabroad.org.uk – Rwanda
Julian Willford: julian_willford@beesabroad.org.uk – Mwanze in Tanzania.
Hi – my name is Veronica Brown. I joined Bees Abroad in July 2008, and enjoy being part of a great team of folks who are passionate about helping people in small communities of developing countries world wide. I am the first line of contact, the person who receives the info@beesabroad.org.uk emails, administers the enquiries, reads the correspondence, answers the phone and liaises with the trustees and project managers to make sure your request is actioned or your questions answered as soon as possible. I also keep the web site up to date with the latest and greatest information.
