Recently in Jersey Category

So far I think I've got six (6) expressions of interest in the Team Bee jersey. Just need four more to make the minimum and then I'll start the process of ordering. So if you are interested and haven't already said so, please leave a comment with your name to let me add you to the list.

Have spoken to the folk at Plan Bee:

"We cannot accept donations to the Plan Bee campaign as we aren't set up as a charity but if you would like to donate to help bees please see the Bumblebee Conservation Trust's website"

So the £5 I'd originally proposed would go to them to aid their work.

Like everyone who rides a bike, I love riding through the countryside in bloom in spring and summer as it bustles with colour and life. The smells of the flora and fauna that make it home are something we should all cherish, not just as memories

Bumblebees are just one of the creatures which make an invaluable contribution to keeping it that way. We should do something to help them go about their business without worrying where their next buttercup is coming from.

Do you want to find yourself riding through a drab landscape, devoid of such wonders as nature creates? I don't, so that's why I think we should support the humble bumble (other bees are available).

In this age of austerity it's also important to remember the vital work bees do in supporting the economy: Loss of bees could be 'a blow to UK economy'

I've been knocking this idea about in my head for a while now: Team Bee

So as I had some time on my hands this morning while waiting for the repair man to come and look at our washing machine, I thought I'd run up a first effort at designing the jersey to see if there is any interest.

If there is, then maybe Team Bee will become a reality and not just a strange fantasy in my mind.

So show of hands if you are interested in being on Team Bee.

I'm looking at getting the jerseys done by Champion Systems on the recommendation of a few people. To make a go of this, or at least for it to work with their minimums, we'd need ten (10) firm commitments to buy a jersey.

I'd aim for them to be fairly priced at £35, which is cost+£5.

That £5 would in turn be returned to the Co-Operative's Plan Bee initiative which aims:

"To address the decline in bees, we're taking action on pesticides, have created a research fund and are inspiring people to help bees in their gardens."

"We're petitioning the UK Government to carry out a systematic review of the impact pesticides are having on honeybees."

Find out more about what Plan Bee is and what it aims to achieve

There might be a few design tweaks before the final version, based on feedback. Not 100% sure on the typeface for the web site address across the front and on the trim but can't find something that is both legible and says "Bees" among the ones I've got here.

Are the bees on the shoulders too much, perhaps plain yellow stripes there instead? I quite like them but there's five bees on the jersey. Maybe they're a bit big.

All feedback and design improvement suggestions welcome.

I've not put a big deadline on it, but I guess if we wanted to be a "club" we'd need to get affiliated before the beginning of 2011. I wasn't planning it as a first claim club, more a gentlemanly second claim whimsy.