Lidl Ireland have committed to the rollout of 20 new pollinator friendly stores in efforts to increase biodiversity awareness across the island of Ireland, including several store locations in Donegal, Tipperary, Monaghan, and many more.
The announcement follows the success of the retailers debut 20 pollinator stores last year. In conjunction with its long-term environmental targets and comprehensive sustainability strategy, ‘A Better Tomorrow,’ Lidl has continually demonstrated its leadership in the biodiversity field. The retailer has been a member of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan since 2018 and has been working towards the protection of biodiversity and the conservation of native ecosystems in line with Ireland’s National Biodiversity Action Plan.
As part of the pollinator strategy, Lidl Ireland are once again partnering with Gaisce in support of their See Your Bees nationwide pollinator campaign calling on blossoming photographers to sign up to a blooming exciting photography competition. The competition runs until Friday 27th May and aims to create increased awareness of the importance of our native biodiversity on our environment.
There will be an overall winner of the competition as well as 26 regional winners and a group prize. To take part, all you need to do is snap a photo of a bumbling bee on, or close to, a blooming flower and upload it to: https://www.lidl.ie/seeyourbees
Commenting on the initiative Aoife Clarke, Head of Communications & CSR for Lidl Ireland has said:
‘Bees and pollinating insects such as butterflies are vital to our food eco system. We are delighted to be advancing Lidl’s efforts in sustainability and Biodiversity by launching the latest 20 pollinator stores in Ireland. Ensuring the growth and spread of our native biodiversity is imperative to the survival of our bee population and it is something we can all lend a helping hand with.
We are delighted to connect with Gaisce and their See Your Bees photography competition. It is a perfect opportunity for our customers to capture the beauty of our natural biodiversity. We would encourage everyone to get involved.”
As part of the launch of the pollinator stores, Lidl stores will have thousands of pollinator friendly bulbs available across stores in Ireland from Thursday 12th May for customers to purchase and create their very own pollinator-friendly corner in their garden. These bulbs and plants include Bee Dance (1.99/£1.79), Living Garden Selection (€6.99/£5.99), French Lavender (€3.99/£2.99) and Potted Sunflower (€2.99/£2.49).
Commenting on the initiative, Yvonne McKenna Chief Executive Officer for Gaisce said:
“Encouraging our native biodiversity to flourish is very much at the heart of this initiative, and we all have a part to play in doing so. We are delighted to partner with Lidl Ireland to encourage everyone to get creative in capturing the importance of caring for our native biodiversity through our photography competition. It is what allows our farmland and environment to thrive. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone engage in this wonderful initiative as all their submissions start coming through!
The See Your Bees photography competition is now live until Friday 27th May and is open to everyone to participate. For more information and to find out more please visit https://www.lidl.ie/information/see-your-bees
