Slovenia’s Deputy Ambassador Jakob Brenčič has planted a linden tree, national emblem of Slovenia, in the town of Sedbergh in Cumbria, which has been twinned with Zreče in Slovenia for the past 20 years.
In a ceremony on October 17th in Sedbergh’s Parish Church, he also donated a traditional Slovenian beehive to celebrate his country’s rich beekeeping tradition.
David Burbidge, who frequently visits Slovenia with the “Lakeland Voices” choir, writes:
“In Slovenia one in every 200 people is a beekeeper, four times the European average. The Slovenian Carniolan bee is famous around the world for its absence of aggression and high productivity. While the world bee population is declining, in Slovenia they are enjoying an increased number due to good care and environmentally friendly farming techniques.”
The choir paid tribute by singing Čebelar, which rejoices at the rustling of bees and the scent of honey.
To celebrate in style, Sedbergh’s shopkeepers decorated their shop windows with themes of bees. At Leighton’s barbers, David found the staff so excited “they could barely keep their hair on”, while the manager of the Waffle Shop recalled going to Zreče when at school “and I loved every minute of it – what a beautiful country.”
Mateja from Prekmurje and Polona from Ljubljana came to join in the singing and lend support. After Debbie and David of the “Lakeland Voices” concluded by reciting Popotnik and Nekoga moraš imeti rad, all repaired to a good lunch in the Sedbergh School Sports Centre.
