WLBK Membership Categories & Application Form

WLBK Membership provides four categories of membership. Members may be Registered Members, Partner Members, Associate Members or Junior Members

Registered Members are fully corporate members of the branch with full voting rights. This is the category to which most WLBK members belong with an entitlement to the following:

• Membership and the services of the British Beekeepers' Association (BBKA).
• Membership and the services of the Warwickshire Beekeepers' Association (WBKA).
• Membership and the services of Warwick & Leamington Beekeepers (W & L) - a branch of the WBKA.
• Insurance cover for public & product liability and colony loss through disease.

More detail of services available to Full Members are:

• BBKA, WBKA, and WLBK Newsletters.
• The use of Branch resources such as the honey extraction facility, the data projector, microscopes, home honey extraction equipment and the Book & DVD Library
• Practical training and experience at the branch training apiary.
• Instructive winter members' meetings and social activities.
• Access to other beekeepers in the area for advice and assistance.
• Access to the Co-operative Purchasing Scheme

Partner Members are spouses or partners living at the same address as a Full Member who manipulate bees and who therefore need public liability cover.  Partner Members have all the same rights and entitlements as Full Members, except receipt of BBKA News

Young people under the age of 18 should join as Junior Members if they intend to handle bees or as Associate Members if they just want to show an interest in bees and beekeeping.  All young people must be accompanied by an adult beekeeper whenever handling bees and by an adult when participating in Branch non-bee-handling activities.

Junior Members have the same benefits as Full Members except that they do not have voting rights and any liability arising from maintaining colonies falls on their accompanying adult or guardian.

Local Members are not beekeepers as such and do not require insurance cover.  They do not need and cannot use our co-operative purchasing scheme. These may be non-beekeeping spouses or partners, or others with a general interest in beekeeping. Such members may take part in the non-beekeeping activities of the branch, but have no entitlement to vote or hold office.

Gift Aid - Gift aiding makes a big difference in the value of your subscription to the branch. Because we are a Branch of WBKA which is a registered charity, your agreement on the joining form enables us to claim tax back based on the subscription value you have paid.