Copy
View this email in your browser

Bristol Parks Forum Update

Forward this email to a friend
In this update: 


 

Parks Forum Meetings

 
The minutes of our October meeting are now on the website at http://www.bristolparksforum.org.uk/meetings/
 
The confirmed dates (all Saturdays) for next year’s meetings are:
 
26th February – 2nd July – 15th October
 
                   ----------------------------
 

Parks Forum Terms of Reference Working Group

 
Reminder:
 
At the AGM we suggested that we should review the Bristol Parks Forum Terms of Reference
 
In particular do we need to update the Forum’s primary aims? As part of this we need to consider whether we should be considering all green space, or specifically sites managed by Bristol Parks with public access.
 
If you would like to join a working group to look at this – probably via some zoom meetings and some email discussions, please let us know. The aim is to have a recommendation to put to the February meeting.
 
 
                   ----------------------------
 

Love Your Park Volunteer Awards

 
Ahead of the online celebration event on 29th January, don’t miss out on the chance to nominate an individual volunteer or project for the award scheme.
 
There's £200 for the Group that win's the People's Choice!
 
Details are at https://yourpark.org.uk/volunteerawards/
 
The award categories are:
 
For Individuals:
 
Volunteer of the Year
 
Celebrating the volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to their green space and local community in 2021.
 
Outstanding Commitment & Long Service
 
Celebrating volunteers who have made an outstanding contribution to their green space and local community over 15 years.

For Groups or Projects:
 
Community Impact Awards
 
Celebrating projects taking place in 2021 that fall under the following categories:
 
– Nature lovers: celebrating projects that have transformed their green space for nature, creating and enhancing habitats that support more biodiversity in our communities.
 
– Community connectors: celebrating projects that have brought people together from all sections of the community, helping people feel welcome and fostering a sense of belonging.
 
– Happy and healthy: celebrating projects that have improved local people’s health and wellbeing by getting people outdoors, being active and connecting with others.
 
– Tender loving care: celebrating projects that have provided exceptional care for their green space, ensuring it is beautifully maintained for everyone to enjoy.
 
 
People’s Choice
 
Voting for People’s Choice will be open to the public starting in January 2022. You will be able to choose your favourite of the shortlisted projects from the Community Impact Awards.
 
The project which receives the most votes will win a prize of £200 towards their work! Look out for details of this opportunity in early 2022.
 
                   ----------------------------
 

Avian Flu

 
Avian Flu is back in the UK, here is some advice from Defra:
 
Avian Flu what to do - Wild birds
 
“Do not touch or pick up any dead or visibly sick birds that you find.
 
In Great Britain, if you find dead wild waterfowl (swans, geese or ducks) or other dead wild birds, such as gulls or birds of prey, you should report them to the Defra helpline (03459 33 55 77).
 
We then collect some of these birds and test them to help us understand how the disease is distributed geographically and in different types of bird, not all birds will be collected. Wild birds are susceptible to a range of diseases and injuries and not all dead birds will have been infected with avian influenza.
 
We publish a report (updated regularly) on findings of highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds in Great Britain and provide further details in our outbreak assessments.
 
The carcasses of wild animals, other than wild game, are exempt from the animal by-product (ABP) rules in the UK. However, if it is suspected that the animals were infected with a disease which can spread to people or animals such as avian influenza, the carcases must be disposed of as a category 1 ABP. See our guidance on animal by-product disposal.”
 
 
If you find any dead wild birds in your park or green space leave them where they are, phone DEFRA and report them to Bristol Parks, preferably using the What3Words location finder and a photo.
 
Use the reporting litter options and make it clear that they are dead birds that you have reported to Defra in the description.
 
Bristol Parks will collect the birds and pass them to Defra if required.
 
 
                   ----------------------------
 

Ella’s Volunteering Update

 
If you are on Ella’s mailing list, you will have received her December Newsletter last week. If you didn’t then you can see it here:
 
www.bristolparksforum.org.uk/ParkVolunteersUpdateDec2021.pdf
 
To receive future editions email Ella and ask to be added to her list - ella.hogg@bristol.gov.uk
 
                   ----------------------------
 

Sensory Walks

 
This might be of interest if you are involved to leading walks in parks & green spaces.
 
I work for the charity Sense as a Sport & Physical Activity Coordinator covering the South West. Sense work to support people with complex disabilities and sensory impairments to communicate and live life to the full. We are currently delivering a Sport England funded project called Sense, Active, Together which aims to provide lifelong opportunities for people with complex disabilities and sensory impairments to take part in sport and physical activity.  
 
As part of the Innovation strand to our project we have developed the concept of Sensory Walks. The aim is to provide people with disabilities the opportunity to engage with nature through their senses along a fully accessible walking route. We have developed a toolkit with lots of ideas to help you set up Sensory Walks, and also offer a free training course. I can support partners locally to map walks to upload to OS Maps and help set up structured walks with new participant groups if that is of interest.
 
Please get in touch if you are interested in exploring Sensory Walks with us.
 
Many Thanks,
 
Alice Miller
Sport & Physical Activity Coordinator (South West)
Email: alice.miller@sense.org.uk

More details, including links to the toolkit, are at
https://www.sense.org.uk/get-support/arts-sport-and-wellbeing/sense-sport/our-programme/sensory-walks/
 
                   ----------------------------
 

The Forgiving Path

 
While on the subject of walking, there is a New Bristol film that tells the story of three local walkers.
 
Shot by Bristol film-maker David Mathias. The Forgiving Path is a series of short vignettes about people’s personal connection with walking and the surrounding landscape. Filmed in Bristol and Whitchurch, the documentary shows a mix of walking routes in both an urban and rural setting.
 
The film features the Bristol Steppin Sistas in the second story and Troopers Hill in the third part, the first section is filmed around St Werburghs.
 
The film can be watched at: https://vimeo.com/651789370
 
                   ----------------------------
 

BBRP OnePath BS5 update

 
An update from Sustrans on the planned improvements to the Bristol & Bath Railway Path:
 
Project-wide news
 
As you may have seen, there was a short update published online this summer at https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/projects/2019/england/making-the-bristol-and-bath-railway-path-better-for-all .
 
Signage trial
 
Following public engagements and subsequently, your respective inputs - through the signage and on-path communications activities we undertook together, we can now confirm a range of path prompts are set to be trialled on the path, starting in the coming week. These will be temporary signs, prior to the main construction works in order to gather feedback from people on the path about their experiences of how they are working, or not, in context.
 
We will then make any final adjustments necessary before creating the permanent versions in 2022. The prompts to be trialled will include ‘left is best’, among others, with a view towards clear guidance, prompting considerate and safe behaviour. Keeping left is an approach which has received considerable support through the project, with fewer suggestions of ‘keep right’ or ‘not specify’. Consequently, we are trialling the most popular approach to find out how it can work in practice.
 
Further information is available at https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/news/2021/october/trialling-left-is-best-on-the-bristol-and-bath-railway-path-frequently-asked-questions .
 
Main construction works
 
We are about to go out to tender for the main construction works for the project, with works planned to start in early 2022. We have been granted lawful development certificates to carry out the works, and are in the process of securing a small number of outstanding consents.
 
The preparations for construction will also include a short closure and diversion around the Clay Bottom section of the path to enable additional site investigation to be carried out. This is expected to be for around 4 days in early December, and details will be publicised on-path as soon as they are ready.
 
 
                   ----------------------------
 
Rob Acton-Campbell
Bristol Parks Forum
www.bristolparksforum.org.uk/vision/   
 
BPF meetings for 2022:
Sat 26th February, Summerhill Methodist Church, St George – Sat 2nd July – Sat 15th October – all 9.30am to 12.30pm - venues for July & Oct to be confirmed
 
 


Report problems in parks to BCC at: www.bristol.gov.uk/reportparkproblem
Information I hold for you:
Name: <<Name>>
Email: <<Email Address>> 
Group: <<Park Group>>
Consent Confirmed?: <<Consent Confirmed?>>
Thank you for confirming your consent to receive these emails.
The emails are sent through Mailchimp.
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link below.
Copyright © 2021 Bristol Parks Forum, All rights reserved.


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Email Marketing Powered by Mailchimp