Some interesting and important information from Bristol Parks Forum is in their latest update (below).
________________________________
October Parks Forum Meeting
The papers & presentations from our meeting are now on our website.
Thank you from the committee for re-electing us – and a thank you to Sam, who is standing down, for her input over the past few years. Sam is of course still involved with parks through her work at the Ardagh and Horfield Common.
—————————-
Volunteering Update
Look out for further emails during the week on the impact of yesterday’s announcement about the new ‘lockdown’ on volunteering in parks.
Ella will also be giving an update at volunteering zoom meeting on Friday (6th November) at 2pm – perhaps just as well we postponed it by a week.
Zoom details:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84556634334?pwd=NXRKSVlTR1czSnB4L2RXaFFHL1hIZz09
Meeting ID: 845 5663 4334
Passcode: 350003
To join by phone, dial +44 203 051 2874
The volunteering page on the BPF website will also be updated. It also has a link to the Eventbrite page listing training courses. Ella is hoping to run at least one more face to face training session this year, but it depends on whether the restrictions allow it.
—————————-
Bristol Avon flood strategy consultation
Bristol City Council would like to hear your views on the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy.
This will be of particular interest if your site is near the River Avon or any of the streams that flow in to it. There are maps showing the locations of the proposed defences.
Bristol City Council and the Environment Agency have been working together to deliver a long-term plan to better protect homes and businesses from flooding from the River Avon.
The preferred approach to reducing the risk of flooding is to create new flood defences or raise the level of existing flood defences in phases along lower sections of the River Avon riverbanks. This is based on extensive technical studies that examined the different options.
Defences would be designed to be in keeping with the local area, and would look at possibilities to improve public spaces which could be by providing new green spaces, better access to the river, enhanced heritage features, and improved transport connections.
To find out more and complete the survey please visit www.bristol.gov.uk/bristolavonflood
You will also find documents providing background information.
If you would like to request a paper copy of the consultation information and survey, please call 07775 115 909 or email bristolavonflood@bristol.gov.uk.
The closing date for comments is 20 December 2020.
—————————-
Future Parks Photo Competition
There is still time to enter this competition – upload photos of parks and be in with a chance of winning a hanging basket from Blaise Nursery.
Future Parks are looking for photos that will inspire people to visit parks & green spaces across the city that can be published alongside snippets about why people think parks & green spaces are important.
Have a look through all those photos you took during the Spring lockdown or during the summer, perhaps you have some older ones with snow on the ground? Future Parks would also particularly like photos of lesser known parks & green spaces.
https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/FutureParksPhoto/
—————————-
People should live no more than 5 minutes from green spaces
From the latest West of England Nature Partnership Newsletter:
A report – ‘Home Comforts’ – published by the Place Alliance recommends that neighbourhoods should be designed so that everyone lives within a five-minute walk of ‘significant’ green space or a park. This recommendation reflects that the proximity to parks or green space was a strong indicator of how satisfied people were with their neighbourhood during lockdown.
—————————-
Troopers Hill Field Path Inaugurated
We had a small socially distanced ceremony on Troopers Hill Field this week to mark the completion of our new path – which had taken longer to acheive than we had hoped.
The work was funded by Enovert Community Trust and Ibstock Enovert Trust as part of the Landfill Communities Fund tax credit scheme. Additional funding was from Community Infrastructure Levy. The funding was secured in 2018.
Read more here: www.troopers-hill.org.uk/waystonature
While many of the landfill operators have reduced the areas they cover due to reductions in the funding available this is still an alternative to the Lottery funds for capital works in parks.
—————————-
Support a National Nature Service
The new #NationalNatureService aims to train and employ people to restore nature as we rebuild from the Covid-19 crisis. Help convince the Government to take this forward by pledging your support www.nationalnatureservice.org/sign-the-declaration/
—————————-
Consultation on new Traffic Clean Air Zone options
This latest consultation on creating a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) for Bristol closed on Closes Sunday 22 November 2020
www.bristol.gov.uk/caz2020
—————————-
Rob Acton-Campbell
Bristol Parks Forum
www.bristolparksforum.org.uk/vision/
Due to the Coronavirus BPF normal meetings are cancelled until further notice but we are holding meeting by Zoom – the dates for 2021 are yet to be decided.