Hull Trains has celebrated its first annual ‘Bee Lady Day’, which highlights older individuals who are making a difference.

The special day honours the life of Jean Bishop, known as the Bee Lady, who raised over £125,000 for Age UK. She was also celebrated with a train named in her honour in 2022 after she won a public vote by a landslide.

For over 30 years, she urged people to donate to Age UK and inspired people years later after her death in 2021.

For the day, Hull Trains brought aboard the winners of the new ‘Jean Bishop Legacy Award’. The winners included a fundraiser for good causes, Margaret Hannan (79 years old) and Jean Walker (82 years old).

Jean, who spent 56 years as a nurse, started skydiving for charity in her 70s and runs mental health support activities.

The guests boarded ‘Coach Bee at Hull station at 1034 am and headed to Doncaster to enjoy an afternoon tea and other activities.

Hull Trains hopes that this is the first of many Bee Lady Days and that Jean’s legacy will live on.

“We’re delighted to be involved in Bee Lady Day – a fitting tribute to a true Hull legend. Jean was an example of the strong community spirit in our area and we were delighted to welcome the award winners and volunteers onboard to raise plenty of money for a cause that was close to her heart – Age UK Hull and East Yorkshire.”

Louise Mendham, Service Delivery Director at Hull Trains