A FAMILY friendly film will help Otley Courthouse celebrate World Bee Day.

Maya the Bee (certificate U) - about a rebellious, newly hatched hive member - will be shown at the arts venue at 3.30pm on Sunday, May 19.

The film is free but tickets need to be obtained and can be booked by calling (01943) 467466 or visiting www.otleycourthouse.org.uk .

Later on the same day, between 7pm and 10pm, visitors to the Courthouse can view a ‘virtual hive’, find out about how bees are currently faring and the role of a bee keeper, and try some honey cake.

The evening event is sponsored by Wharfedale Bee Keepers Association and is free, though donations will be welcomed.

And earlier at the Courthouse on World Bee Day, from 2pm to 5pm, the Association will be letting visitors look at a sting through a microscope and discover more about how bees communicate. That event is also free.

World Bee Day is actually celebrated on May 20 although events are held throughout May, and across the world, to mark the occasion.

The date was chosen in honour of Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, who was born - in what is now Slovenia - on May 20, 1734.

The main purpose of the day, and the activities that support it, is to acknowledge the role of bees and other pollinators in keeping the planet’s ecosystem healthy.

Elaborating on the theme, the official World Bee Day website states that World Bee Day events are held ‘to spread awareness of the significance of bees and other pollinators for our survival’.

It adds: “We must realise that simply proclaiming World Bee Day does not do much for bees and other pollinators.

“The main work aiming towards their preservation still needs to be undertaken.

“World Bee Day is an excellent opportunity in this regard.

“Beekeepers and nature conservationists would like to ask everybody to help improve the conditions for bees, thus improving conditions for the survival of people.

“No major steps are needed; what counts is each and every action that facilitates the existence of bees.”

For more details visit https://www.worldbeeday.org/en/ .