For the past few months, we have had an incredible intern duo, learning all about running a Beehive, and we thought it was about time to tell you about them!
This is Tricia and Laura. They are awesome!
(They will introduce their own personal stories to you in the coming weeks/months, so keep an eye out.)
Our Beehive story has been a wild ride… As a team we have learnt and grown so much over the years: developing our skills; making lots of mistakes; and celebrating many more successes. It’s been a real learning curve…
Although Tricia and Laura haven’t been on our team for long, they have watched The Beehive story from day one and championed us along the way. They both were part of Ashford Vineyard for several years, and have their own individual stories of how The Beehive has been part of their lives running up to becoming interns. Laura (with her husband Dave) recently launched a new church in Dover (Dover Vineyard), and Tricia joined them in the new venture. They absolutely loved everything that The Beehive does in the community; the vision and values of who we are as a shop, embedded in the town centre as both a thriving business and a place of safety for customers and clients. And so when they came to us to see how they could launch a Beehive of their own, it was a no-brainer. They have joined us for a 9 month internship where we are teaching, training and showing them how to set up and run a Beehive. They’ve been getting their hands dirty both on the shop floor and behind the scenes, and are getting an intensive insight into all the areas of Beehive life- we’ve already thrown so very much at them.
Tricia and Laura at The Beehive Ashford
“...when they came to us to see how they could launch a Beehive of their own, it was a no-brainer.”
When I asked them why they’re giving up their time to do the internship, this is what they had to say:
“I’m here in Ashford, learning about running a business, connecting with the community and bringing life and loving our town…it’s something we’re seeing so much in The Beehive here, and I want to learn how to do that, because it’s just so beautiful.”
“The thing I’m incredibly passionate about is what [The Beehive] does behind the scenes, and the transformation work it’s doing with women… how it’s transforming the lives of women from being in a place of hopelessness and then helping them step out of that and carve out a plan and a purpose for themselves, and that for me is absolutely incredible.”
Trica and Laura at The Beehive
This past weekend, as part of their internship, they organised a big clean of The Beehive across 2 days. When we originally moved in to 1-3 North Street, we were limited in both time and in restrictions, being slap bang in the middle of the pandemic. As we come up to our birthday, we tasked them with mobilising a troop of merry helpers to do a deep clean, some DIY jobs and make the place sparkle and shine. They have done such a wonderful job and the place is looking even more beautiful!
(Massive thank you to everyone who came to help. We are so very grateful!)
“We are so honoured to be able to equip Laura and Tricia in launching our second Beehive...”
We are so excited to have Laura and Tricia on our team, and their bravery, willingness to get stuck in and hunger to learn, is so encouraging. As a core team, having these two wonderful women mine us for knowledge, has really helped us to see just how far we’ve come. It has encouraged us in our capabilities, and the things that we have to offer as individuals- when I was a nurse, we always used the phrase “see one, do one, teach one” whenever we learned new skills and so as a team we’ve landed in the “teach one” phase, which is just so valuable in cementing our place in running a successful business with a heart. The Beehive is such a unique space, and unlike anything else. We are so honoured to be able to equip Laura and Tricia in launching our second Beehive, and hopefully they get to skip a few of the mistakes we made along the way as we navigated the trial and error of becoming who we are!
Keep your eyes peeled for news of when The Beehive Dover will be launching- we hope you’ll support and champion them as part of our Beehive Family!
Got your own story to tell? No matter how big or small, we’d love to hear it- fill in this easy form and tell us about your Beehive Story. (Even if you want us to keep it private and not share it, that’s absolutely ok. But we’d still love to know!)
Want to support all that The Beehive does in Ashford? If you’d like to give financially, just click the “Donate” button on the button in this post or pop in & visit us in the shop & enjoy our clothes or cafe.
If you’re not local, but still want in on The Beehive shopping experience, we have a range of Beehive Merch available online too.
Or if you want to support us in a free & easy way, simply follow along with our story on social media & share us far and wide.
Author: Karen Thatcher (“Creativity and Comms Guru”)
Karen is one of our Core Team at The Beehive. She has been with us since day one, and oversees all the design, comms, marketing and digital side of what we do. When she’s not volunteering her time at The Beehive, she is a Freelance Creative & Communications Consultant, and has a little Empathy Card Shop on the side too.