Welcome to the Friends of Brislington Brook June’s newletter!
In this month’s edition…
Tech Support found, Welcomers needed
The Great Big Green Week
Corporate Work Parties – CGI
Top 3 insects to look out for
Next Planning Meeting
If there’s something you’d like to include in our newsletter, let us know by emailing info.fobb@gmail.com.
Plenty of activities in nature!
Hello everyone, happy June!
This month we have a recap of the Big Green Week, a note showing the amazing work that our Corporate Work parties are doing and, a great note from one of our young volunteers, Ethan, who talks about his favourite insects this time of the year. He’s the one who caught the kingfisher on camera when it visited us on the morning of the Bioblitz. His amazing pictures can be seen in all their glory and at full resolution in his Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/ethan_nature_guy.
Tech support found, Welcomers still wanted.
We are extremely grateful to have found some extra hands for website support, thank you!
We still would like to have more Welcomers (talking to new volunteers, ensuring they know what we are doing and assigning them tasks according to their abilities). We will be doing some informal training for this rewarding role, why don’t give it a try?
If any of you are interested, please let Jo know by emailing info.fobb@gmail.com.
Next Planning Meeting
Please attend our next Meeting at the Skittles Alley in the Langton; it would be great to get a good number of us there as it helps build momentum for the next moth ahead. Apart from current projects, we’ll be discussing the summer social and Xmas social!
All the best, Cristina – holding Secretary
The Big Green Week recap
Jo (Chair)
Thanks to all those who joined or ran the Brislington Great Big Green Week activities this month which were organised between local friends of groups; FoBB, Friends of Eastwood Farm and Friends of St Anne’s Park.
It’s been great to begin to work together more, to share knowledge, find out more about each other’s plans for managing our natural spaces and to help each other out. We combined our efforts throughout the week running a nature and litter pick walk and three balsam pulls in different locations including one on Father’s Day.
This has inspired conversations for not only having quarterly meet ups of core volunteers but also starting a Brislington ‘green drinks’; a social meet up open to anyone who is interested in the environment and sustainable living. So watch this space.
Corporate Work Parties – CGI
Andy Mc Bride-Coogan, lead volunteer and Corporate Work Parties coordinator
This June we welcomed our friends from a firm called CGI, in Bristol along to St Anne’s Woods. CGI are normally involved in all kinds of IT Consultancy work. They write software and for Banks, Local Government and the healthcare industry. They are very clever guys doing things that I don’t really understand, check out their website: https://www.cgi.com/uk/en-gb and you will see what I mean.
Once a year CGI ask their employees to dedicate a day of their time to give something back to the local community. They decided to put on their very best working gear and come along to Brislington Brook to help us out.
This year we asked them if they would attack the Himalayan Balsam which has been overwhelming St Anne’s Woods. It is a real menace, here is a report from last year which appeared on the BBC https://youtu.be/UACHgnXwG1c?si=_9jSHq5YXHf69LWa
They did a most amazing job. Around 30 people turned up un Thursday 17th June and worked all through the afternoon. Huge swathes of Balsam were attacked and not much remained after they had finished. This is the 4th year that they have given us a day of their time and every year they get better and better.
Big thanks to everyone from CGI who came along.
🌱🗓️🌱🗓️🌱
Our next steering meeting will be at 7pm (for admin points) or 7:30pm for the main meeting, on Wednesday 2nd July (always the first Wednesday!) at the Skittle Alley, The Langton, and our next work party will be 10am on Saturday 5th July (meet at St Anne’s Park Bowls Club car park).
June and July are some of the best times for nature spotting in the valley, the days are long and many species are at their peaks! Butterfly numbers are growing and Dragonflies are out in force so I’m going to give you my top 3 insects to look for in Nightingale Valley and St Anne’s woods!
1. The Comma.
The Comma is a common butterfly through the UK and in the valley, on the wing in two to three separate generations per year! The first fresh generation of this year have just emerged showing off their pristine orange wings and raged edges. They can often be found in both Nightingale Valley and St Anne’s Woods flying in the woodland clearings where the sunlight hits the floor, feeding on flowers like Brambles and defending their territories with aerial fights high into the air!
2. Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly.
These are the quite common Damselflies that you will find mainly in St Anne’s woods around the sunny areas of the stream. Their stunning blues and greens standing out like little jewels on the river, dancing in the sunlight and resting on leaves over hanging the water and raged edges.
3. Scarce Chaser Dragonfly.
This brilliant Dragonfly used to be quite rare in Bristol but has had a rapid expansion in its range and can now be found in St Anne’s woods! They hunt in the large clearing near the well and can be seen basking on sunny days on the vegetation and flying extremely fast over the stream. Dragonflies are one of the most efficient hunters in nature having a 95% hunting success rate thanks to their agility, being able to move each of their four wings independently!
I wish you luck in finding these three species!
Thanks for reading,
Ethan Murphy
I hope you see you again soon!
Remember to follow us in our Social Media! The pics are in better resolution there!
A report by Geoff Thomas On Saturday 11th January, Jackie, Jo, Andy and I met with the new owners of the Coach House and Stables and land in Nightingale Valley, Andy Kemp and his business partner. We met them at Hill Lawn and then walked around the area of the tar barrels while discussing their…
Two-and-a-half acres of Nightingale Valley is to be sold at auction on 20th November 2024. Friends of Brislington Brook seek to raise awareness about this matter. The land forms part of a larger plot of six acres, three-and-a-half of which is on the flat at the top of the valley: https://www.hollismorgan.co.uk/property-details/33414365/bristol-city/bristol/wick-road-1 The general public perception…
On 21st November, Friends of Brislington Brook’s Chair, Jo Bushell, and Vice Chair, Jackie Friel, met with local MP, Kerry McCarthy. As you may know, Kerry is Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero). She was accompanied by her Chief Communications Officer, James Austin. The purpose of the meeting was…
Our campaign is gaining traction! Here’s what we’ve achieved so far. Tree Preservation Orders (TPOs) On the 11th Oct, one of our campaign volunteers made an application to Bristol City Council for the London Plane and other trees to be protected by TPOs. BCC came back to us yesterday saying that it was at the…
In March 2023 we had the opportunity to meet with representatives from the council to discuss the situation around the tar barrels in Nightingale Valley. Two people from the land contamination department came along and two from the Parks department. I am happy to report that wheels seem to be turning. Progress is limited so far…
This week we were lucky to have a visit from BBC News, interviewing our chairman Andy about our recent efforts to control the Himalayan Balsam growing in St Anne’s Woods.
