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Nature in the City

---- Explore Hidden Bristol, a Wild City ----

The City of Bristol and the surrounding urban areas have a fabulous range of Nature Reserves and wildlife sites, many of which are unknown to the majority of residents.

Badocks Wood LNRThere are now 13 designated Local Nature Reserves in Bristol.

Lawrence Weston Moor; Stockwood Open Space & Troopers Hill were declared on 22nd June 1995.

Royate Hill was designated by Avon County Council, in 1996.

Badock's Wood, Eastwood Farm & Manor Woods Valley were designated on 4th Dec 2007; as part of the Wildspace! project, these were BCC LNRs Nos 4, 5 & 6.

Callington Rd was designated on 1st October 2009.

Avon New Cut, Lamplighters Marsh, Narroways & The Northern Slopes were then designated in 2015 as part of the Wild City Project, to bring the total to 12.

The latest addition is Old Sneed Park which was declared as a Local Nature Reserve on 7th April 2020.

2015 Leaflet with map of 12 of Bristol's LNRs >>

www.bristol.gov.uk/localnaturereserves


Past Projects Focusing on Local Nature Reserves in Bristol

There were three major projects focusing in Local Nature Reserves in Bristol over the period 2002 to 2014.

Wild City Project

Wild CityWild City was an Access to Nature funded project which ran from November 2010 to January 2014. Wild City built on the huge success of the Nature in the City project (see below). The funding award was for £250,000 with £336,000 being the total project value for the 3 years.

Bristol Parks appointed two Wild City Project Officers, Helen Adshead and Paula Spiers. Helen previously worked as the South Bristol Riverscapes Project Officer. Paula is also the Avon Frome Development Officer, and continued this post part-time. Later in the project they were joined by Justin Smith.

The project was based on Bristol's current and potential Local Nature Reserves with the main focus on the 'Key' sites and a lesser involvement with the 'Network' sites. However, buy raising the profile for wildlife in the City the project also benefited many sites not directly involved.

Eastwood Farm LNRThe Key Wildlife City Project Sites were:
Lamplighter's Marsh - The New Cut - Northern Slopes - Hengrove Park Mounds and Hawkfield Meadows - Callington Road LNR - Eastwood Farm LNR - Stoke Park

The Wild City Network Sites were:
Lawrence Weston Moor LNR - Badock's Wood LNR - Narroways Millennium Green - Manor Woods Valley LNR - Stockwood Open Space LNR - Troopers Hill LNR - Royate HIll LNR

As a result of the project four of the sites were designated as additional Local Nature Reserves (LNRs) in 2015 – Avon New Cut, Lamplighters Marsh, Narroways and The Northern Slopes.

Wild City Newsletter Issue 1, Winter 2011/12 >>

Wild City Newsletter, Final Update Feb 2014 >>

Nature in the City Project

Bristol Parks' Nature in the City Project was run by Sally Oldfield and focused on Troopers Hill and five other sites. The project ran for two years to September 2008 and followed on from the four-year Wildspace! project which had also been run by Sally. Photographs and reports on some of the events held during the two years of Nature in the City can via the link below.

Nature in the City Project >>

Manor Woods Valley LNR

The Bristol Wildspace! Project - Summer 2002 to August 2006

The Bristol Wildspace Project was funded by English Nature and the Big Lottery Fund. It is this project that provided funding for the post of Local Nature Reserve Officer expertly filled by Sally Oldfield.

It was Sally's efforts to increase people's awarness of their Local Nature Reserve and its potential that led to the Friends of Troopers Hill being formed in December 2003.

During the four years of the project Troopers Hill and other wildlife sites in Bristol benefited from a raised profile and from Sally's enthusiastic contribution to their management and development.


  Bristol Biodiversity Action Plan

  Bristol's Big Wildlife Map

  Bristol City Centre Nature Trail

  Explore the Avon Valley

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Friends of Troopers Hill
Website produced by the Friends of Troopers Hill

www.troopers-hill.org.uk