Arts college for students with learning disabilities in Northampton to host virtual Christmas market

The Sweet Bee in Kingsthorpe, Northampton will be hosting their very first online virtual Christmas market on Saturday November 21 from 12pm to 2pm.

From the comfort of your own home, you will be able to browse a range of festive products and treats made by the very talented students at the Bee Hive. Sweet treats include reindeer hot chocolate cones, sweet bags, craft spread boxes, baubles and much more.

The money made from this virtual event will go towards all of the work done at the Bee Hive, which is a school for special educational needs and disabilities students.

The Sweet Bee sweet shop has been running as part of the Bee Hive in Kingsthorpe for five years.

Trudi Daurie, a spokesperson for The Sweet Bee, said: “We are an old-fashioned retro sweet shop which offers a wide array of sweets for any confectionary lover, all our sweets will remind you of bygone days and your lost childhood when you eat them.

“2020 has been a year of change for everyone who runs events and small businesses. Our last public event was in December 2019. With all our physical events this year cancelled, we needed to diversify - that’s where the idea of a virtual event came into play.”

The online event will encompass all aspects of The Bee Hive, including Sweet Bee, Horti Hub, the Cafe and Enterprise.

The Bee Hive is collaborating with the learning disability charity, MENCAP, who have been working on their social impact project and creating candles for the event.

MENCAP currently runs a supported internship in partnership with The Bee Hive, which helps young people with learning disabilities to develop their work skills and move into or towards a paid job.

Ms Daurie continued: “Covid 19 has had a devastating effect on the Mencap learners this year, with over half of their learners losing or having to pause their work placements.

“With all this uncertainty, we decided to engage in a social impact project of their choosing. Learners have decided to make Zero waste fragranced candles for a small profit.”

All profits will go towards The Bee Hive’s hydrotherapy pool and refurbishment to enable the college to provide higher quality services to the young people they support.

Ms Daurie added: “We cannot wait to make your Christmas dreams a reality. Come along and support us, from the comfort of your home. Small businesses need you now more than ever.”

For more information, follow @thesweetbeensac on Instagram or The Sweet Bee NSAC on Facebook.