A hidden gem in Farnham was buzzing with excitement last Friday as a great new initiative got off the ground.

Special guests and visitors swarmed to the museum garden for the launch of the Farnham Bee Trail.

The family-friendly trail is a great way for local people and visitors to learn more about the different types of bees and their habitats around Farnham.

Participants are encouraged to pick up a guide and follow a short trail that links a dozen bee hotspots around town.

The guides have 12 blank spaces as each location has a rubbing plate, with town mayor, Cllr Brodie Mauluka, making the first etching at the launch event last week.

The scheme – devised by Hive Helpers with support from Farnham Town Council – is a great way to help our apian friends as the guide also includes details of bees you’re likely to see and the plants they love.

Juliet Evans, a Hive Helper director, told guests at the launch that the Reading Ale Trail was the inspiration for Farnham’s bee equivalent.

She said: “We had the idea of doing a bee trail for Farnham whereby we get people away from their phones, walk about and enjoy nature.

“When we walked around town we were absolutely amazed by what we found, all these great places. We thought it would a great way to showcase the town.

“Little places, big places. We walked all around, then we went to the environmental working group at the town council and offered it to them and they said yes.”

There’s another incentive to hit the trail as people who hand in their completed centrefold to Farnham Town Council by the end of September will be entered into a Bee Trail Prize Draw. Guides are available from the South Street office and other venues around town.