Local resident Heather Davidson started writing poetry during the pandemic lockdown following a challenge from a friend. We are delighted that she has shared with us her poem about Badock's Wood which you can tell she wrote in Spring (the wild garlic coming into flower is the clue to the season).
Heather has been visiting Badock's Wood for about 40 years - walking her dogs there when she had them. She remembers when the wood was "misused with all manner of things dumped in the water" as well as motorbikes being ridden there and it was not good to walk there alone. She tells us that "over the years it has changed so much and we are all so fortunate to have such a wildlife haven so near us all". She has enjoyed attending the walks and events laid on by the Friends of Badock's Wood such as wildflower identification, the Owl Prowl etc. She still appreciates having the wood nearby as you can tell by her poem.
We have added some of Rosemary Burton's portfolio of Badock's Wood illustrations which fit well with Heather's poem. Rosemary lives close to the wood and was a founder member of FOBW. She has provided us with a wonderful portfolio of illustrations which you will have enjoyed in our leaflets and newsletters over the years.
Enjoy!
Bristol Water
Free water themed activity sheets
for you and your children to download and use.
Helps everyone understand where water comes from,
how we use it, how to conserve it etc.
River Trym We recently spotted what we thought might be pollution in the River Trym at the Weir by the Triangle and reported it to Wessex Water.
Wessex Water came out to investigate and having tested the water were pleased to report that it was not foul water pollution - i.e. not from someone's home (see item below). The tests showed that the Trym in that area contained no ammonia and that the brownish bubbles and sheen in the water were most likely to be caused by the natural products from the breakdown of the woody debris that collects in that area. See photos below.
But they would rather be told about a pollution incident and confirm that it is not pollution than pollution be in our rivers, so please do report it if you think the rivers are polluted.
The Wessex Water staff working in the river moved some of the debris on to help with the flow and spotted an elver. You may remember that in May 2017 the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust released elvers into the river with children from Badock's Wood Primary School, so it was great to hear this news. Here's a reminder of what they did in 2017 from the BART website
Our thanks to Wessex Water for their prompt response and for keeping us updated and telling us about the elver they spotted.
Waste Water and Badock's Wood
Remember if you put in a new sink, washing machine, toilet etc you must connect your pipes to the foul drain otherwise your waste water and its contents will most likely end up in the rivers such as those running through Badock's Wood. We often find these misconnections discharging into the rivers and Wessex Water is contacted and they will visit the household causing the problem to get them to fix it.
Clean water is not just for our consumption but all wildlife needs it so do check your pipes are properly connected.
If you wash your car with soap and chemicals and it flows into a street drain, or you wash a paint or plaster bucket out in a street drain - that generaly goes into the nearest river. Please do not do this. If you live in any of the streets close to Badock's Wood or in the Wellington Hill West area, the street drains will run into the rivers.
Please be pollution aware.
If you see any suspected pollution in the rivers in Badock's Wood or anywhere else in Bristol or the wider Wessex Water region you can call their Pollution hotline on 0345 600 4 600
Who brings our drinking water and who takes our waste water away?
Just in case you don't know - in Bristol, Bristol Water brings clean drinking and washing water to us and Wessex Water takes the waste water from our bathrooms, toilets, sinks etc. away for treatment.
Litter picking Whilst we have not yet arranged any formal litter picking group sessions for this year, the Council have updated their protocols for volunteering in the light of Covid-19. They have written one for individuals and one for group working.
Regardless of the general guidance on social distancing, because everyone's needs for distancing are different especially those exercising in our parks, the Council continues to use the 2 metre (6 feet) rule for distancing which we of course agree with as being most appropriate. The latest Parks Department advice for individuals or groups volunteering is on this page of their website
The advice on that page has been updated since our last newsletter, so do remember to check for the latest situation before heading out.
There appears to be a trend towards people leaving their litter / picnic waste / cans and bottles behind them. We and the Council will be monitoring this. Please report any problems both with large amounts of litter and with overflowing litter bins to the City Council using their online reporting process
Enjoy the outdoors but be tick aware
download this leafletfor more information about what to look out for and
what to do if you are bitten by a tick
Please report problems in the wood such as
overflowing litter bins, fallen trees, blocked paths etc to
Bristol City Council through their online reporting system at:www.bristol.gov.uk/reportparkproblem
River pollution should be reported to the Wessex Water hotline by calling
0345 600 4 600 and providing them with a location and description.
Donations
Just to let you know....
We don't currently charge for membership of the Friends, but do welcome donations towards our costs. Most of our walks leaders are kind enough to offer their time free but we also have to pay for room hire, leaflets, posters, etc and we also make some donations to organisations whose members kindly lead walks. Where we have to pay for room hire, walks leaders, etc., we do ask that attendees make a donation.
You can donate at most of our events and walks - there is usually a collecting jar - alternatively if you would like to make a one off or regular donation to the group please reply to this email and we will let you have the address / bank details. Thank you.
For more information or to contact us about the Friends of Badock's Wood you can visit our website - www.fobw.org.uk
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