Mansfield woman fulfils late husband’s beekeeping dream raising money for charity selling honey

Julie Ledingham, of Nottingham Road, lost her husband Julian in September last year after a long battle with prostate cancer.

The pair had collected the bees last summer and were fortunate enough to be able to harvest a few jars just before the autumn.

“We were so fortunate that Julian was able to see the first harvest," Julie said.

“We were told the bees might not produce anything for up to a year, but the girls worked so hard for us. That harvest was a magical moment and it is now a very precious memory for me.”

She added: “They are still Julian’s bees, and so this year, I wanted to sell his honey to contribute to the fight against cancer as well as providing a small but sweet legacy for him too.”

With a little help from her friends, Julie harvested more than 40 jars last month.

She has since raised nearly £1,000 for the Cancer Research UK charity by holding a garden party where she sold the honey alongside homemade jams, cakes and lavender bags.

Titchfield Teahouse, at Titchfield Park, also donated two large cakes which were raffled off as prizes to boost funds

Julie is now planning to make the fundraising an annual event and is hoping Julian’s bees will go on to produce even more honey to be harvested before the end of the summer.

Editor’s message: Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.