Schoolgirl takes bee-saving campaign to Parliament

An eight-year-old girl's campaign to save Britain's bees has got to Parliament after she created a petition at her primary school.

Elouisa's petition attracted about 40 signatures from her friends and teachers in Skerton in Lancashire.

Elouisa met Cat Smith, the Lancaster and Wyre MP, to talk about why protecting bees matters so much to her and handed over her petition to be taken to Westminster.

Smith said it was "fantastic to see someone so young taking action to protect our natural environment".

The MP said: "I was absolutely delighted to meet Elouisa and hear about her campaign.

"Her petition shows that children in Skerton understand just how important bees are to our ecosystem and our future.

"Her voice really can make a difference and Elouisa should be incredibly proud of what she has achieved."

She has presented Elouisa's petition to Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, the nature minister, who Smith said was "making sure that Elouisa's campaign gets the attention it deserves".

To help protect bees, the government has strengthened guidance around pesticides and committed to preventing the use of banned insecticides in England.

In April, it announced investment in threatened species recovery, with £90m for projects including work benefiting the rare Hawksbeard Bee, which was rediscovered in Hastings after more than 100 years.

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