The staff and pupils at Pennar Community School are buzzing following the arrival of their new beehives as part of an exciting beekeeping project.

The school is the first in West Wales to be involved in the Bee 1 project which aims to raise awareness of the importance of bees and other pollinators.

The school beekeeping staff received a day of inspirational training from Mark Douglas of Bee 1 to enable them to look after the hives.

These hives will provide a wealth of opportunities for pupils to learn about the fascinating life cycle of the honeybee and the important role bees play in the environment.

In the future, the school hopes to produce its own honey and other bee-related products such as wax food wraps, which will help to cut down on the plastic waste within the school.

Sian Taylor, the school's outdoor learning co-ordinator, said: "The beekeeping staff feel so privileged to have been given the opportunity to be a part of this amazing project. The pupils had identified a need to increase the biodiversity of the school grounds, and the having the bees here will help with the pollination of the wildflower species we are planting.

"The hives provide an exciting and authentic context for learning and the children are thrilled with the new arrivals. The bees appear to have settle in well to their new home."

Mark Douglas of Bee 1 said: "Bee 1 is delighted to be working with Ysgol Pennar on this project.

"We work with hundreds of schools across the UK but very few take the brave step of learning to look after their own bees and becoming beekeepers to provide a richer learning opportunity for their pupils.

"We have been hugely impressed by the staff's desire to learn new skills that will benefit both themselves and the school.

"The school bees will also support the local environment by pollinating about 200 million plants, flowers and fruit across the surrounding area.

"The pupils will get to see the birth of a bee, honey being made, pollen being stored and the honeycomb being built from the safety and comfort of the classroom. We look forward to producing and tasting local Pennar honey."

The school's headteacher, Damon McGarvie, said: "The new curriculum for Wales gives us the perfect opportunity to give our pupils meaningful learning experiences linked to the world around them. The enthusiasm of our staff beekeepers ensures out pupils will benefit for many years to come."