Honey Craft Publishing

My name is Liga Orlovska, and I am the Director of Honey Craft (www.honeycraft.org) based in Leicester.

I am working in a collaborative process with a writer, illustrator, and insect scientist! I am a beekeeper myself and you can come and meet my extended family members at Walled Gardens hidden in the ruins at Bradgate Park! Meet the Bees

I love nature and with your help, we would like to engage children in nature and tell the story about the National Forest!

We are currently working on a new book about a butterfly and a moth that go on adventures in the National Forest.

We need your help to make this book a reality and gather the vital funds needed to bring this book to young readers (aged 8-10).

You can find more information about the book on our website at https://www.honeycraft.org/butterfly-moth-workshops and https://www.honeycraft.org/opportunities.

We are planning to launch the book at Timber Festival on the 7th, 8th, and 9th of July 2023. More: https://timberfestival.org.uk/ It would be great to see you there our supporter!

Why to support this? What makes this book important?

The project will build a stronger awareness, connection to their surrounding environment and place. The act of taking time out in nature is proven to improve mental health, reduce anxiety and increase happiness and sense of purpose.

The book’s text and illustration material will represent National Forest (maps, places, site specifics).

The story line and other material in book will advocate creating new habitats for wildlife and importance of positive action against the climate change.

The book encourages the reader to visit the NF and help connect with nature that will support their health and wellbeing.

The book will work as an effective tool to reach those children who doesn’t engage with National Forest. 50 books will be donated to Libraries at Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire.

We aim:

• To give space for families to interact and spend quality and creative time together

• To develop a new book set in the National Forest

• To give children new, nature friendly heroes (mini beasts that lives in the National Forest)

• To provide stories that encourages children to connect to nature that will improve their health and wellbeing

• To tell a story about the National Forest through a children’s book

• To boost participants creativity and imagination through engaging story telling and illustrations

• To rase awareness of the National Forests biodiversity (mini beasts and plants)

• To provide unique story to unlock more creative activities and projects in the future

We will see an increase in the:

• Visitors to the National Forest

• Increased audience for the work, and awareness of the forest and its unique qualities.

(Working with professional artists and experts is very important because after having a positive experience, confidence to take part in future art projects and visits to the National Forest will increase.)

• Innovative solutions better attuned to workshops and books for children and developing the methodology for creating books for children

• Increased number of children wanting to read more about nature, bugs, their local areas, requesting encyclopaedias and other books at libraries

• Increase the health and wellbeing of workshop participants and books readers and build a stronger awareness and connection to their surrounding environment and place.

This project is match-funded by the National Forest Arts Grant supporting workshops and our work with artists.