New Buzz - the Legal Honey Awards

The roof of Mishcon de Reya's Holborn offices may not offer the best views in the City but a number of its staff are being regularly coaxed up there, thanks to its new occupants - bees.

The Firm is just one of the many businesses in the area that have signed up to inmidtown's pilot business bee scheme. Devised 18 months ago in response to increased concern about the decline in the bee population, inmidtown is currently trying to recruit as many local businesses to put hives on their roofs as possible. According to the United Nations, these pollinators make a staggering €153bn contribution to global food production and so reports of their decline are a cause for serious concern.

Companies are given up to three hives, each complete with 5,000 bees, with the aim being to encourage a hive population of up to 50,000 - full capacity. Employees of the participating companies help professional beekeepers to collect honey and look after the hives.

According to Tass Mavrogordato, chief executive of inmidtown, not only is the scheme a great way to help the environment but it is also an original way to foster a sense of community in busy organisations. "In larger companies there is a tendency for different departments not to interact," she says. "We are so pleased to hear feedback that people are starting to talk to people that they haven't met before thanks to the scheme."

Standing on Mishcons' rooftop, watching the bees working to fill the hive with their aromatic nectar, it is easy to understand why this is an appealing and strangely relaxing hobby. On a sunny day overlooking the City, it is no surprise that this scheme is proving popular with lawyers looking for a calming outlet in the workplace.

In charge of the scheme at Mishcons is solicitor Alexander Rhodes, who, as well as being hugely enthusiastic about the scheme, feels that it has been the perfect fit for the firm. "We already have a strong social and environmental conscience here and have had a long-term relationship with inmidtown," he says, adding that the level of industry exhibited by the bees around a hive is a fair representation of life at a law firm.

Describing the scheme as "innovative and enterprising", Rhodes says the firm has an e-mail circulation list dedicated to the bees that now has more than 30 names on it. Each week two people get to go up and learn  more about the bees while watching them being fed and the hives being maintained.

Rhodes has been impressed by how the project has been received internally. "It is a good way of engaging people within the firm and the partnership is fully supportive and excited about it," he says. In true law firm fashion, the firm has also been responsible for drawing up a 'hive licence' that sets out how the honey collected will be split between Mishcons and inmidtown, and issues surrounding roof access. inmidtown is now using this licence for all of the businesses involved in the scheme. With only a small yield of honey expected in the first year Rhodes says Mishcons will be conservative, leaving most of its honey yield for the bees to eat throughout the winter. Volunteers will only extract a little with which they hope to enter the "Best honey from a legal institution" category at this year's London Honey Show, where they will compete against neighbour Olswang, which is already involved in the scheme.

Olswang is already well regarded for its green programme, and corporate responsibility executive Sam Hudson says the scheme has wide appeal at the firm. "The idea really added to Olswang's green credentials and we liked that it was something that people could actually get their hands on," she says. "It has also prompted a lot of client interest so we are now producing pamphlets for them".

With plans to sell the firm's own-brand honey to raise funds for it's local charity Coram, Hudson is thrilled by the growing sense of community in the firm. "The new beekeepers now interact with the firm's gardening club," she says. "The education side is also very important, people are regularly given a chance to learn a little more about bees."

Mavrogordato is confident that this is the beginning of a very successful venture and the increasing publicity has meant that the enquiries have started to flood in. inmidtown now plans to do a series of promotional events, including honey tasting and collaborating with a local hotel to create a honey-themed cocktail, giving the scheme as much exposure as possible before next spring when they will be looking for more volunteers.