Bute Energy and Urdd Gobaith Cymru Inspire Young Environmentalists with Bee and Bug Hotel Workshops in Neath Port Talbot Primary Schools

Bute Energy and Urdd Gobaith Cymru have held creative and hands-on series of workshops in primary schools in the Neath Port Talbot area, encouraging young learners to connect with nature by building their very own bug and bee hotels. 

This unique collaboration brings together Bute Energy’s commitment to biodiversity and Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s mission to empower young people through Welsh-medium experiences. The workshops aimed to teach pupils about the vital role that insects, bees, and pollinators play in healthy ecosystems – and how even small actions can support biodiversity and the environment.

Children aged 7-11 have taken part in the sessions, which blended practical building activities with environmental education. Each workshop saw pupils construct small habitats from natural and recycled materials, designed to provide safe spaces for bugs and bees to thrive in green spaces. A number of schools have taken part in the workshops, which included Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Lon Las, Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Cwm-Nedd, Ysgol Gynradd Ynysfach, Ysgol Gynradd Penafan ac Ysgol Gynradd Croeserw. Bute staff, and local volunteers from Friends of Margam will help plant the gardens in the Garddorfa before the Eisteddfod as well.

Llio Maddocks, Director of the Arts at Urdd Gobaith Cymru, added:
"As an important Eisteddfod sponsor, we're very excited and glad that Bute have been a key partner in this project. This project brings environmental education to life in a creative and meaningful way. Partnering with Bute Energy allows us to engage children across Wales with key sustainability messages, while fostering a deep connection to their natural surroundings – all through the medium of Welsh."

The workshops have been delivered in schools near this year's National Urdd Eisteddfod, which this year will be held in Margam Park from 26-31 May.  As well as promoting biodiversity, the initiative supports the Curriculum for Wales by developing pupils’ creativity, citizenship, and environmental awareness.

Catrin Leader, Education Leader at Bute Energy said: "We are grateful to work with the Urdd again this year as sponsors of yr Arddorfa on the Eisteddfod Maes. We have taken a further step this year by joining our partners Bee1 in Neath to show how we can adopt a holistic approach to tackling climate change."

The bee and bug hotels created during the sessions will remain as lasting reminders of the children’s contribution to sustainability – and of the power of education and collaboration to build a greener Wales. The bug and bee hotels will be exhibited in the Garddorfa area of the Eisteddfod this year, and will then return to the schools that contructed them.