Back in the early 90s, there was concern about ‘the overgrown and unkempt valley’ next to Glenavon Park in Stoke Bishop and several meetings were arranged with Bristol City Council, local residents and Avon Wildlife Trust to see what could be done.
In 1995, The Friends of Old Sneed Park Nature Reserve (the FOSPNR) was formed, a committee set up, and fundraising and work on the area begun. Members saw it as an opportunity for the community to come together to create and maintain an area of natural beauty in a residential area, and later realised its importance as an educational resource.
Since those early beginnings, much has changed. The reserve has been transformed with improvements such as creating new paths, hedge laying, removing scrub, planting new trees and shrubs, and the installation of a dipping platform to the lake. The water levels in the lake were also raised, which involved the committee raising £50,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund. With this money they employed contractors with machinery to remove the near-100% silt from the lake and dump it in three adjacent bunds.
Now, those more than three decades of hard work and dedication to preserving this 6.6 ha wildlife haven are being celebrated on Sunday June 7 with the FOSPNR’s anniversary afternoon. Originally planned last year to coincide with the actual 30-year anniversary, it was cancelled due to the weather, so fingers are crossed for more favourable conditions this year. Guided walks and talks will lead visitors through the beauty and diversity of the area, with expert guests sharing their knowledge of mini beasts, the wonder of trees and the plants of Old Sneed Park.
Poignant
To mark the anniversary last year, founding member and Honorary President, Eileen Stonebridge, wrote an article reflecting on the 30 years. She described how: “After the initial launch, what followed was 30 years of hard work. Initially, we had two tasks: recruit members and raise funds. We were still novices in those days, with limited knowledge of wildlife or conservation, but then there were more staff available in the Bristol Parks Department, and we had a Site Manager, Gordon Milward, and the help of one of the city ecologists, Helen Hall. There were opportunities to learn from staff at Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre, Bristol Naturalists, and various experts with whom we had contact.
“Space does not allow the recounting of all the work of 30 years. However, the first 25 are recorded in a booklet [which was written by Eileen]. The work has involved practical conservation done by volunteers, big projects carried out by professionals with the help of volunteers, education in the form of guided walks and talks, a lively and informative website organised by Graham Rooth.”
Eileen died last November, so her concluding words are now rather poignant, but still resonant: “We have not come to the end of the story! There are now new faces keeping up the work of planning and organising events, as well as the general running of an active organisation. Long may it continue.”
The FOSPNR has also carried out practical conservation work to restore, strengthen or enhance areas of the reserve in collaboration with skilled partners, and a dedicated team of volunteers and supporters. They also provide education and engagement in the form of family events, guided walks and talks, all-age photography competitions, and supporting school and scouting visits.
Annual butterfly surveys are conducted as part of the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme, and encourage members of the public to take part in citizen science projects, such as BioBlitz.
The Friends would be delighted to have you mark the occasion with them on June 7 from 1-4.30pm.
The programme includes: 1-2pm, minibeast hunt with Ray Barnett, suitable for children aged five and above with adults; 2.15-3.15pm, The Wonder of Trees, with Sue and Alistair Rankine, suitable for children seven and above with adults; 3.30-4.30pm, The Plants of Old Sneed Park, with Rupert Higgins and Dawn Lawrence, all ages.
Places on the talks are free, but limited. Please email: outreach.ospnr@gmail.com to reserve your spot.
New members are also always welcome, to join the Friends and/or help at working parties.
For more details on both, please see: https://www.oldsneedparknaturereserve.org/