Young Beekeepers’ Award Recipients
Recipients of the SBA Young Beekeepers’ Award
2025
Robert Tulloch, aged 11, is a member of Dunfermline and West Fife Beekeepers Association (DWA) and a truly ‘buzzing’ young Beekeeper.
Robert first accompanied his dad, John, to beginners’ classes and helped put out the chairs, but he soon became fascinated with everything to do with honey bees and asked to join the classes himself. Since then, his enthusiasm and beekeeping knowledge has led him to help with practical DWA classes, give talks to his primary school, local scout troupe and even chat with Monty Don when he visited Kinnesswood during his recent ‘British Gardens’ series.
Robert makes candles and sells them locally to raise funds for ‘Kinnesswood in Bloom’ and last year received a special award for his support of the local community.
He contributes to the YB pages in the Scottish Beekeeper and has become a keen competitor in Honey Shows. Last year he successfully entered the Scottish National Honey Show, in Kinross, and at the National Honey Show in London, he won the new, ‘Edinburgh Candlemakers’ Trophy’ for the best exhibit in the decorated rolled candle class.
Charlotte Lowe has been nominated for this award by Angela Yekken, teacher of Biology and Beekeeping at St. Ninian’s High School in East Renfrewshire.
Over the time that Charlotte has been a Young Beekeeper, her family and teachers have been delighted with the impact that beekeeping has had on her.
Charlotte joined the National Progression Awards (NPA) beekeeping course at school and was determined to overcome her fear of being around large numbers of bees. She learned new skills and as her confidence working with the bees grew, she became ‘manager’, taking the lead on hive inspections, with her peers always giving her positive feedback and high ratings for her management skills.
At the Royal Highland Show she ‘talked bees’ to the public, impressing visitors with her enthusiasm for beekeeping, and she supported Young Beekeepers with candle making.
During the winter, Charlotte and classmates gave ‘beesy’ presentations to numerous local primary and nursery schools. Keen to demonstrate her bee knowledge she wrote an article, ‘The Life of a Worker Bee’ for the Scottish Beekeeper.
Now she has agreed to volunteer to become a ‘Sustainable Champion’, working with other young people locally, and having a unique opportunity to highlight the importance of bees and pollinators in the community. She has exciting challenges ahead.