Kendal and South Westmorland Beekeepers’ Association was founded in 1945. Twenty-one local beekeepers assembled at the inaugural meeting, which was held at Stramongate Boys’ School in Kendal. The subscription for that year was 3/6d (17 ½ p). A report of the meeting was then published in the Westmorland Gazette. Of course times have moved on and the popularity of beekeeping has fluctuated over the years. The review of agriculture in 1832 recorded that the number of bee colonies in rural Westmorland exceeded the number of human beings.

Nationally beekeeping is enjoying resurgence in popularity and our membership is growing steadily. Although there are no strict boundaries to our association, we approximately correspond to the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, excluding the Furness peninsula. However, we have members living in North Lancashire and the Yorkshire Dales, most of whom are also members of the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA).

The K&SWBKA has several roles. Many good friendships exist between our members and we all appreciate spending some time with people from all walks of life. Members support each other with beekeeping activities including study for exams but we also attend public events in an educational role, give talks, go into schools and run beekeeping courses. K&SWBKA meet once a month.