As beekeepers we are very concerned about the decline of all pollinators, and recognise the urgent need for sustainable, biodiverse, practical and educational solutions to reverse the decline, and re-establish the biodiversity needed for bees and other pollinators to thrive.
Our first and important action is to invite you to the very special Charles Butler 400th anniversary Bee Fayre Celebrations at Wootton St Lawrence Church and Meadows, on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August 2023. We combine telling the ‘bee story’ inside the church with presentations and workshops, (limited to 180 places), and outside in the Church Meadows with specialists, beekeepers, and stall-holders, to engage with the children, families, and adults who attend.
With your help, support, pledges, and sponsorship we would also like to establish The Charles Butler 400 Foundation.
For these special celebrations we have raised the bar to engage international speakers and performers inside the church, and create a centrepiece "The Hive" educational bee story the Meadows. We are proud to have stallholders representing bee craft, honey and beeswax, wildlife and the environment and family activities to enjoy. Please book your seats early to avoid disappointment
Rewards for contributions to our exciting project include:
- Personal donations.
- Donations which offer 10% discount code for all seat session bookings
- Sponsorship for speakers, performers, the Hive Education Centre and the ongoing work of the foundation.
Book publications are also available as special rewards. For more details about the event please visit our website www.charles-butler400.co.uk.
Your support, donations, and sponsorship will enable beekeepers from the UK to share with our communities the environmental importance of beekeeping, and give us the momentum to take the Charles Butler Foundation forward and achieve our wider goals for all bees, that will provide an enduring legacy though education and training programmes, targeting schools, voluntary organisations, and charities.
We take our inspiration from
Revd. Charles Butler, Pastor at Wootton St Lawrence Church [1600 to 1647] the Father of English Beekeeping. Charles Butler was a scholarly country parson (educated at Magdalen College Oxford). He had wide-ranging interests, and a deep curiosity about the natural world and recorded his discoveries methodically using patient observation to record the highly practical craft of beekeeping and musical composition.
In 1623 Charles Butler published “The Feminine Monarchie”, which is the classic beekeeping text, and included his famous Melissomelos Bees Madrigal. Original copies of his book are rare and highly prized. His observations, methodology, and study of the environment are very much part of the beekeepers teachings worldwide today which is why Charles Butler is regarded as the “Father of English Beekeeping”.
We wish to celebrate with you and beekeepers alike, this very special 400th anniversary celebrations, at his pastoral home in Wootton St Lawrence, [RG23 8PE], and at the same time with your help and support and pledges establish The Charles Butler Foundation.
What’s special about Saturday 19th August:
Saturday is a day for all ; with a wide range of family, educational and fun activities, specialist retailers, cross generation presenters, book signings, real ale, refreshments and picnic areas to relax in the Church Meadows
Inside, morning presentations by children’s beekeeper authors, perfect to have fun and interaction with the celebrity speakers and in the afternoon presentations to tell the Charles Butler story, and Charles Butler Bee Madrigal will be performed by international early music vocal ensemble Stile Antico.
The Charles Butler Prize Draw raffle rounds off a wonderful day followed by the planting of a commemorative bee friendly tree in “Charles Butler Meadow”
What’s special about Sunday 20th August:
Sunday is a special day with a beekeeper thanksgiving service (free to all), in the morning and, during the afternoon a celebration of the 400 year legacy of Charles Butler given by international speakers and performers as the grand finale to these Celebrations. In between expect family activities, educational workshops and dancing, plus hog roast, real ale and refreshments all in the Church Meadows.
Inside, the special thanksgiving service will include Stile Antico performing the Bee Madrigal, a video message from Archbishop of Canterbury, and an address by Revd John Owen, [authored first new edition of Feminine Monarchie in 2017].
The highlight in the afternoon will be the International Beekeepers Forum which will be opened by Stile Antico performing Charles Butler Bee Madrigal. International speakers from Slovenia, UAE, and the UK will be reflecting the impact and legacy of Charles Butler and the bee story - past present and future.
Book your seats early to avoid disappointment.
The Charles Butler Foundation: Our vision and Aims
- Tell the complete bee story [honey bees, bumble bees, and solitary bees] by providing education and a growing understanding of the importance of pollinators, and the need to create a sustainable biodiverse environments for bees to thrive.
- Provide educational training support to encourage future generations of beekeepers and wildlife activists by engaging with local communities, schools and wildlife groups to encourage the planting and maintenance of wildlife habitats
- Promote beekeeping and pollinators though an annual Bee Fayre Celebration at Wootton St Lawrence, the pastoral home of Charles Butler, The Father of English Beekeepers.
- Provide the education programmes to encourage new beekeepers through 'bee-experience days’ and practical craft workshops.
- Bring together Families, Beekeepers and Communities to celebrate their love of bees and pollinators at an annual Bee Fayre Celebration at Wootton St Lawrence, the pastoral home of Charles Butler, The Father of English Beekeepers.
Our Bee Fayre Celebrations bring communities together to tell them the bee story, and help them understand the need to create a sustainable environment for bees to thrive. We combine telling the ‘bee story’ inside the church with presentations and workshops, and outside in the Church Meadows with specialists, beekeepers, and stall-holders, to engage with the children, families, and adults who attend. It has proven to be successful.We are proud to have stallholders representing bee craft, honey and beeswax, wildlife and the environment, and family activities.
More details of the exceptional weekend programme
Saturday AM Session 1: Starts 10:30am
- Meriet Duncan: Beekeeper Author Storyteller
- Rachel Monger: Bees Abroad - Bees Trees Honey
- Sarah Wyndham-Davis: Beekeeper honey sommelier - The Magic of Honey
- Speaker inter-active panel discussion with Meriet, Rachel, and Sarah
Saturday PM Session 2: Starts 2:00pm
- Matthew Elmes: Pollenize - Bees Pollination Conservation
- Revd Ben Kautzer: Charles Butler Church and legacy
- Chris Park : Feminine Monarchie and Bee History
- Stile Antico: Charles Butler Melissomelos Bee Madrigal
Sunday AM Session 4: Starts 10:00am
- Revd Ben Kautzer: Thanksgiving Service
- Revd John Owen: Charles Butler The Feminine Monarchie
- Most Revd Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby video message
- Stile Antico: Charles Butler Melissomelos Bee Madrigal
Sunday PM session 5: Starts 1:00pm
- Stile Antico: Charles Butler Melissomelos Bee Madrigal
- Chris Park: Bee history and the Charles Butler story
- Meriem Hammal: Sustainable beekeeping in extreme climate
- Bostjan Noc and Peter Kozmus: Slovenian Beekeepers story and World Bee Day
- Prof.Martin and Deirdre Bencsik: Bees, Vibrations and the Cello
Stile Antico - International early music vocal ensemble who will be performing Charles Butler Bee Madrigal and other oratorio pieces on both the Saturday and Sunday.
Boštjan Noč President Slovenian Beekeepers Association: Slovenia proposal to United Nations Assembly who then adopted 20 May as World Bee Day.
Peter Kosmuz: Vice President Apimondia; Director Slovenia Beekeepers Association ; Professional leader of breeding program for Carniolan honeybees in Slovenia.
Meriet Duncan: Beekeeper, author and story teller
Chris Park: UK leading authority on Charles Butler traditional beekeeping and heritage, folklore and history and storyteller.
Revd John Owen: Published the first new edition of The Feminine Monarchie in 2017
Meriem Hammel UAE Dubai Beekeepers: Sustainable beekeeping in extreme climate conditions.
What’s special in the Church meadows:
Outside in the Church Meadows, be enthralled and excited to talk with some 40 -50 stall-holders, specialists, and beekeepers, who want to share, display, promote, their love and passion of the bee story with you.
Saturday and Sunday highlights include
- The Hive Education Centre
- Charles Butler 400 Prize Raffle and Draw
- Spot the queen bee
- Hog roast, hot food, real ale, refreshments
- Bee Fayre Trail
- Workshops
Experience the centrepiece "Hive" Education Centre, supported by beekeepers who wish to share their love of honey bees with you as the story unfolds inside the Hive!
We want you to experience the secret lives of bees and we want you to work with us and help us create a sustainable future for bees to thrive today and for future generations - just as Charles Butler observed and recorded in "The Feminine Monarchie" 400 years ago!
Books and Book signings
Come and visit Speakers Corner and meet the speakers and authors, where you will be able to purchase and have your book signed.
Special books to look out for:
- Charles Butler 400 Commemorative Bee Story: Celebrating the life and times of Charles Butler and his links and legacy to modern beekeeping today
- Revd John Owen : The Feminine Monarchie 2017 new addition
- Meriet Duncan : Betsie Valentine and the honey bees
Sponsorship and Donations
We thank you in advance for your donations and your sponsorship that will help make the Charles Butler 400 Celebrations the success we want them to be.
Your sponsorship support and donations will enable beekeepers from the UK to share with our communities the environmental importance of beekeeping, and give us the momentum to take the Charles Butler Foundation forward and achieve our wider goals for all bees.
Charles Butler 400 book rewards:
New: 2023 edition: Betsie Valentine and the Honeybees
New: for our Celebrations: Life and Times of Charles Butler 1623-2023
The Feminine Monarchie : 2017 John Owen edition
Thank you for your support and donations. We very much look forward to seeing you at these very special Charles Butler 400 Bee Fayre Celebrations on Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th August 2023, at Wootton St Lawrence Church and Meadows, near Basingstoke, Hampshire (RG23 8PE).
For details of the event please go to www.charles-butler400.co.uk