Bee Lady of Hull’s honour sets social media buzzing

Jean Bishop, known as the Bee Lady of Hull, cut a black and amber ribbon to officially open the bumblebee-striped phone box outside the offices of telecoms firm KC, to the cheers and applause of several hundred well-wishers.

KC painted one of its cream telephone boxes gold last year to honour boxer Luke Campbell’s Olympic gold.

Jean, 91, who last week won the Pride of Britain fundraiser of the year award, said her feet had hardly touched the ground.

She said her new-found fame was “hard work”, adding: “This 
is a real surprise. It came as a shock.

“I am really honoured. I can’t believe it.

“I haven’t had time yet to sit and think about it.”

A well-known figure in Hull, she has been fundraising for 14 years in a bumblebee outfit, despite having arthritis, and a fall which once left her in hospital for a week.

‘Bee Lady’ fans Doreen Hannard and Karen Tindall had paid a special visit into the city centre from Sutton Park.

Doreen said: “She is such a little darling.

“It is phenomenal when you think a lady of this age having time out to do something like this.”

The phone box quickly became a hit on social networking site Twitter, with many users posting pictures of the distinctive box.