Bath and NE Somerset residents are being urged to give bees the gift of flowers this Valentine's Day as part of the Metro Mayor Dan Norris's efforts to help the West's pollinator superheroes.

Mayor Norris has curated a list of five simple steps to help bees, whose pollinating services are worth around £690 million a year in boosting yields and the quality of yummy fruit and veg.

People can take these super-easy measures like getting green-fingered by planting more flowers that are rich in nectar and pollen, eating local honey and ditching bee-harming pesticides for good.

And schoolchildren are being given a February half term challenge to build "bee hotels" out of simple items like plastic drinks bottles and string - to give our pollinator pals a home in Bath and NE Somerset, and across the West.

Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who has pledged to make the West of England the Bee and Pollinator Capital of the whole country, said: "Bees are bee-rilliant. From blueberries and strawberries to broccoli and squash, it's thanks to these busy creatures that we have a plentiful supply of all our favourite fruit and veg here in the West of England. But bees haven't been feeling the love of late thanks to the loss of their habitats, the use of nasty bee-harming pesticides and the climate crisis we all face. The good news is there are some super simple things you can do to help out our little buds on the most romantic day of the year and beyond. Let's all play our part and show our pollinator pals some loving this Valentine's Day".