I t’s fair to say Alasdair Friend didn’t always picture himself as a beekeeper. But when a diagnosis of motor neurone disease meant his father wa

‘He passed the bee baton on to me’: people who inherit hobbies

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2023-03-18 13:30:02

I t’s fair to say Alasdair Friend didn’t always picture himself as a beekeeper. But when a diagnosis of motor neurone disease meant his father was no longer able to tend to his hives, Friend resolved to carry on his passion. He was not without doubts at first: “I remember driving back with this actively buzzing box of 40,000 bees and thinking, what have I signed up for?”

Now the proud owner of no fewer than 10 beehives, Friend, 57, who is a teacher in Edinburgh, still has the descendants of the bees he brought home two years ago. “Although they are pretty feisty at times and cause me moments of panic, I love carrying on with his traditions,” Friend says. “Each year I take the hives to the Cairngorms to collect heather honey to exactly the same place he brought his hives.”

How we spend our free time matters: research suggests that having hobbies can enhance mental and physical wellbeing and offer greater life satisfaction. From team sports to crafts classes, they can also be a means to meaningfully connect with others. And for some, having an interest in common offers a way to feel close to a loved one, whether or not they still practise it together.