Honey that Stoke Newington residents helped produce has been sold at Fortnum and Mason, Selfridges and Neal’s Yard.

Hackney Gazette: George Downing Estate Bee Project 2014. Photo (C) AndyAitchison.ukGeorge Downing Estate Bee Project 2014. Photo (C) AndyAitchison.uk (Image: (C) AndyAitchison.uk)

Southern Housing Group (SHG) and bee hive rental company, Barnes and Webb helped install the two hives on the George Downing Estate off Cazenove Road over the summer, thanks to a grant from the the Big Lottery Fund.

Andrew Aitchison who worked on the project said: “It has been fantastic so far – the bee hives themselves have produced a lot of honey and we’ve seen how having bees around has helped our garden overall. This summer there were a lot more wild birds and our own fruit and vegetable gardens were a lot more productive than they usually are.”

The project was so successful it will be rolled out to SHG’s other London estates.