Our people
BeeCraft is wholly owned by UK beekeeping associations and run by a team of directors and consultants.
The directors are elected at the AGM, and they appoint a team of part-time consultants to carry out the day-to-day business of producing, marketing and administering our award-winning magazine and associated publications.
The operational team
Stephen Fleming
Co-editor
Stephen joined BeeCraft in 2016 and enjoys interviewing, researching and writing about all manner of bee-related themes. He welcomes suggestions for topics, especially wacky ones.
Richard Rickitt
Co-editor
Richard joined BeeCraft in 2016. He keeps about 30 colonies of his own and a few for other people. He runs beekeeping courses but really enjoys meeting and learning from other beekeepers. He is particularly interested in beekeeping history, books and photography.
Lucy Parkinson
Deputy editor
Lucy joined BeeCraft in 2023. After a (painfully) long decade of wanting to become a beekeeper, she finally began keeping bees when she was 22. She is passionate about everything to do with apiculture and environmentalism.
Amanda Berry
Designer
Amanda designs the magazine and other BeeCraft related items. She has been keeping bees since 2015 and has been a designer for considerably longer. She loves both activities so this role is the perfect fit.
Sophie Butcher
Proof reader
Sophie started keeping bees in 2013. She is working towards the General Husbandry exam, has taken several BBKA Modules and the Bee Health Certificate. She keeps up to a half dozen hives at her home in Wiltshire.
Amy Clarkson
Shop manager
Amy joined Bee Craft in 2024 to bring the shop back ‘in house’ with the aim of improving customer experience. Although not a beekeeper herself, Amy has always been around them as both her father and brother are beekeepers.
Dave Hall
IT manager
Dave looks over our web presence and keeps the online shop running.
Jenny O’Dea
Accounts manager
Jenny takes care of the financial side of Bee Craft. Jenny doesn’t keep bees herself, although her hobby is to make wildflower seed balls for the local wild and honey bee population and is a member of the Butterfly Conservation Society.
Varsha Patel
Advertisements manager
Varsha is responsible for all of the adverts you see in BeeCraft. If you wish to advertise in BeeCraft then please contact her by email.
Claire Waring
Publications
Claire was editor of BeeCraft from January 1997 to December 2019 and now manages BeeCraft publications.
The BeeCraft board of directors
Bob Maurer
Executive chairman,
National Honey Show link
Bob has been a director of BeeCraft since 2010 and chairman since 2017. He is currently chairman and trustee of Surrey Beekeepers’ Association and chairman and trustee of the National Honey Show. Bob is a Master Beekeeper and an assessor for the BBKA Examinations Board.
Dale Gibson
BeeCraft lectures
Dale is the founder of Bermondsey Street Bees – a sustainable beekeeping enterprise, specialist honey supplier to the hospitality industry and originator of bee events/experiences and consultancy services. He joined the BeeCraft board in 2020 as the director responsible for the editorial team and the BeeCraft lectures at the National Honey Show.
David Cockburn
Kent-appointed director, publications and shop
While David has been involved in biology his whole career, in farming, pharmaceuticals and clinical trials, he knew nothing about bees when he started keeping them in 2009. Since then, he has done a stint as chair of Canterbury and of Kent (and is still involved on their committees) as well as the board of BeeCraft.
Felicity Brown
People director
Felicity joined Bee Craft at the end of 2022 and thoroughly enjoys supporting all her Bee Craft colleagues. By day, she is Director of People & Culture for a global events agency. While Felicity doesn’t keep bees herself, she lives in a rural area with a wild garden that is adored by local pollinators.
John Hendrie
BBKA link
John has been a beekeeper for his entire life, initially helping his father then carrying on when his father died. He has been involved with committee work for many years, having taken on his first treasurers’ role in 1974. John has been on the committee of the National Honey Show since 1981 and been a BeeCraft director for about 20 years. He and a colleague currently run about 60 hives in Scotland.
Mike O’Neill
Finance director
Mike has been our Finance Director, keeping an eye on the purse strings, since 2016. He has been a beekeeper for ten years and lives in Hampshire.
Steve Clarkson
Company secretary,
share registrar, IT
Steve has been keeping bees since 2010 and has been involved with Kent Beekeepers’ Association (KBKA) for much of that time as a director, membership secretary and general secretary. Steve is also the BeeCraft Share Registrar.
Magazine
Beginnings
