Current Students and Staff

// University News

picture of a butterfly on a flower

4 Sep 2019

Celebrate wildlife on campus and save the date for next Loughborough Gold honey sale

picture of baby kestrel on campus

Today is National Wildlife Day, which serves to raise awareness of wild animals and conservation and preservation efforts across the world.

We live in a world where climate change and human consumption have caused species to decline over the years. For example, did you know in the 1950s there were an estimated 30 million hedgehogs in the UK, and recent data now reveals this may have dropped to about one million?

Our 440-acre campus provides a habitat for a multitude of wildlife – including mammals, insects and birds – to flourish.

For example, you may be aware of our kestrels who return to campus every spring to lay eggs and raise their chicks.

There are also squirrels regularly scurrying across the pathways, sightings of badgers, weasels and foxes, and you might even be lucky enough to spot a muntjac deer by the Library!

The University is also considered home to six colonies of honeybees, cared for by staff volunteers and the Sustainability team.

Each year the campus bees produce honey which is processed on-site and then sold as ‘Loughborough Gold’. All money raised from the sale is invested back into the campus apiary.

The next Loughborough Gold honey sale takes place on Tuesday 17 September from 12pm-1pm at the Sustainability Office (located next to the Student Accommodation Centre). The honey is raw and untreated, meaning it is high quality and likely to sell out quickly.

Please note that jars cannot be reserved in advance, sales will be made on a first-come first-served basis and purchases will be limited to two jars per person. Sizes available are 1lb and 1/2lb jars, priced at £8 and £5 respectively.

You can watch the journey of making Loughborough Gold from the hive to the jar below:

And finally, don’t forget to save the date for the upcoming Fruit Routes Harvest, a two-day event taking place on 18 and 19 October where you can expect a host of free activities including apple pressing, arts and crafts and panel discussions. A full programme will be shared at a later date.