Gwent Beekeepers Association teaches people how to keep honeybees, supports beekeepers in establishing best practice, and educates the public on the importance of bees as pollinators.

After many years of hiring local halls, the Association has purchased land and built a Passmores timber building to create a permanent teaching centre and apiary near Llanfair Kilgeddin.

Ceri Joyner, past chair of Gwent Beekeepers Association explained that the building will be used all year round for meetings and educational talks and lectures. She said: “We needed the building to be as efficient to run as possible, by preventing heat from escaping through the roof, so good thermal insulation was essential.”

With this in mind, the charity trustees naturally made a beeline for Knauf Insulation, which supplied a pallet of Loft Roll 44.

Loft Roll 44 is a Glass Mineral Wool insulation roll that provides exceptional thermal performance and is designed for use in pitched roof applications at ceiling level. It is non-combustible with the best possible Euroclass A1 Reaction to Fire classification rating.

The pallet of insulation was transported to the site free of charge by Abergavenny-based builders’ merchants Robert Price. Association volunteers then acted as busy bees to install the insulation.

Loft Roll 44 is designed to be easy to carry and install. Partially cut perforations mean the insulation can be used between joists at either 400mm or 600mm centres or used unsplit as a full-width roll.

Loft Roll is manufactured with ECOSE® Technology, Knauf Insulation’s unique bio-based binder, which contains no added phenol or formaldehyde. Products made with ECOSE® Technology are soft to touch, easy to handle whilst being robust and durable. They generate low levels of dust and VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and are environmentally friendly.

Marketing Manager at Robert Price, Molly Pike said: “The Robert Price team were delighted to assist our local beekeeping community by providing the insulation needed to ensure their new learning centre meets the new energy efficiency regulations.”

Chris Rogers, Area Sales Manager – South Wales & South West at Knauf Insulation said: “Climate change is having a negative impact on bee populations, so we were keen to help Gwent Beekeepers Association which is caring for our honeybees by providing our Loft Roll 44. Our Glass Mineral Wool insulation is manufactured from up to 80% recycled content, mostly recycled bottles and jars, and helps to combat climate change by reducing energy consumption in buildings.”

Thanks to Knauf Insulation with support from Robert Price, the Gwent Beekeepers Association learning centre will maintain a warm and comfortable indoor environment so it can be a hive of activity all year round.