Gosia and Wiesiek Borowy from Wooden Story plan to save Poland’s bees with their ‘Help the bees! (Be)e your friend’ initiative. Wooden Story

A small, husband and wife firm producing award-winning handmade wooden products has started a new campaign to help Poland’s bee population.

Wooden Story, run by Gosia and Wiesiek Borowy from their home in the Beskidy Mountains, has launched a campaign to educate their customers and help out bees.

An increase in industrial farming and urbanisation has led to a decline in biodiversity including some of the plants bees rely on most.

Started in May, the idea is for customers to become bee-feeders by planting bags of seeds to grow disappearing plants.Wooden Story

With more than 800 wild bee species within Europe, 53 are classified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as endangered or critically endangered.

To combat this, Wooden Story has launched its bee-saving offer of buying one of their eco-friendly items and receiving seeds for one of four plants that can help nurture bees during the spring and strengthen local colonies.

The plants include love-in-a-mist, true lavender, garden cornflower and columbine.

The couple are offering seeds for one of four plants that can help nurture bees during the spring and strengthen local colonies. The plants include love-in-a-mist, true lavender, garden cornflower and columbine.Wooden Story

Gosia Borowy told TFN: “As we use natural oils and wax to protect our toys, we wanted to show bees our gratitude for the wax they produce.

“This gave us an idea to include flower seeds with the toys so that everyone could plant a flowery meadow, arrange flowerbeds in their yards, plant them in flower pots or balcony boxes.

“Each honey-producing flower means life for bees and ourselves, after all, we will not survive without them.

Started in 1969 by ‘Grandpa Borowy’, Wooden Story has grown to become a key local employer whilst still preserving its traditional ways of production with all dyes coming from natural sources and all items being handmade. Wooden Story

“We are thinking of further initiatives aimed to provide support for pollinating insects. The seeds are only a start,”

Operating since 1969, Wooden Story was started by ‘Grandpa Borowy’ and still runs in the traditional way, with all dyes coming from natural sources and all items being handmade.

As the company grew it became a key local employer, raking in multiple awards such as ‘Buy Me Once Award’ from the UK and ‘Best toys and crafts’ from international parenting website Babyccino.

Industrial farming and urbanisation has led to a decline in biodiversity including some of the plants bees rely on most, leaving 53 out of 800 species endangered.Wojtek Jargiłło/PAP

The company has also featured in Forbes, Vogue and Marie Claire and attracted the attention of American socialite Kim Kardashian.

Borowy said: “Our path crossed with Kim Kardashian in a completely natural way. She runs a toy shop and we operate a manufacturer in the remote mountains, in a land far away.

Wooden Story specialises in homemade toys for children.Wooden Story

“I think she found that exotic. When they received our first deliveries, she liked our blocks, puzzles, cars and dolls so much that she decided to use them at a party she threw at home for her own and her friends’ kids.”

It is yet to be seen if the bee-saving initiative attracts celebrity endorsement, but for sure it is attracting nationwide attention and looks set to BEEcome another success for the family business.

Socialite Kim Kardashian was so impressed by the products she threw a party for her and her friend’s children. Kim Kardashian/Facebook

Gosia said: “It is hard to imagine our nature without bees, which is why global organizations support the protection and development of populations of bee gardeners.

“And while Wooden Story is a small, family-owned manufacture, it wants to join in the efforts at supporting bees. After all, using natural wax to preserve toys, it has for years benefited from the effects of their hard work.”