Belgium/Charleroi, 100% local honey straight from a nursing home

Buying honey produced in a nursing home: it's possible at the "Les Bruyères" residence in Jamioulx! One of the residents, an amateur beekeeper for over 60 years, created the Les Bruyères apiary and organizes a honey harvest with the other residents several times a year. A moment of sharing that delights staff and residents alike, who are all eager to taste it.

For the past four years, two beehives in the grounds of the Résidence des Bruyères have been producing 100% local honey.It's always liquid, it doesn't crystallize, but it's completely natural". Behind this project is Charles Sottiaux, soon to be 88, an amateur beekeeper for 61 years, who looks after the hives on a daily basis : "It's a long-term job, even in winter. Every day, I come to the apiary to check that everything's in order. The equipment has to be clean, and the hives have to be painted, varnished, etc."

It's a day-to-day job that he shares with the other residents, and for Laurence Lambert, care coordinator, it's a direct contribution to the life of the nursing home : "He's turned his passion for beekeeping into a training activity that interests the other residents. He does the harvesting directly with the residents, where he can let them taste his honey, show them how it's done and talk about his bees".A moment of sharing that is unanimously appreciated by the residents: "It's very pleasant to taste. It's very, very good for your health", "there's a difference when you taste it, it's much better", "you can recognize the taste of the flowers. It's a real discovery". Good news for them: a new tasting will soon take place for the third harvest of the year.