I’m contacting you on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Hackney. We are planning an event in Stoke Newington late morning / early afternoon of Saturday 28 September to draw attention to the unfortunate local extinction of a species of bee from Abney Park Cemetery – the red-girdled mining bee. ( the work on this bee was carried out by Russell Miller of the Tree Musketeers) This is mainly due to various forms of pollution resulting from the failure of developers and builders to respect conservation regulation and of Hackney Council to enforce those rules.
The intention is to have a gathering late morning in Clissold Park, possibly with ecological-themed performance art, to connect with XR Families and children dressed as bees for a symbolic acknowledgement of the risk by staging a mock bee funeral procession from Stoke Newington Town Hall down Church St to Abney Park.
We are asking if you or anyone you know could be a speaker with awareness of conservation issues in the local area generally and ideally specific to Abney Park to help local residents and any interested parties get a better understanding of real threats to, and possibilities to improve conditions for, local flora and fauna.
We’re hoping to have 2-3 speakers to speak for 5 to 10 minutes each at the Stoke Newington Town Hall end of the action i.e. at the beginning of the action, and 2-3 speakers to speak at the main entrance to Abney Park at the end of the action (late morning to early afternoon on Saturday 28 September)..
If you’re not able to help yourself/yourselves, I would be very grateful if you can refer anyone else who might want to help.
I’m happy to chat further if you need any more information, but in and out a lot so best to email or text me to arrange a mutually convenient time.
Thanks for taking the time to read and hope to chat with you soon.
David
on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Hackney
StokeNewington.Info 
Tony
Can you send me more information about this please?
I discovered Andrena labiata a few years ago and it is my observations that lead me to fear it is possibly locally extinct at Abney.
I am bemused as to how anyone could seek to organise such an event without first consulting me as to the bee’s current status locally.
I presume XR Hackney would like me to speak about its discovery and demise?
Russell
Hi Russell,
I gave them the Tree Musketeers and Abney Trust website addresses yesterday.
I’ll see if I can forward their email to your km address
Best wishes
Tony