Welcome to the Friends of the Downs Web site
Our aims are: To monitor, work with and influence the Downs Committee, Bristol City Council and all those involved in the management, maintenance and improvement of the Gorge and Downs.
  To protect and enhance the Downs and the Gorge for the benefit both of all its users and its wildlife. To consult with, and represent, the views and aspirations of all users.  Activities: Restoration projects, conservation and education. We run a full programme of talks, walks and events as well as volunteer programmes such as wildlife monitoring and deep litter clean-ups. Our quarterly newsletter features reports on our activities, articles to inform, provoke and entertain as well as views from members.
For details on how to join, you can contact us here.
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New in January 2022 (happy new year by the way!).

Recently added to the Events page (click this link) are a series of wildlife walks and talks  run by the The Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project..

Two new Deep Litter Cleaning dates for your diary, Saturday January 15th and Saturday January 29th. Full details are on the events page.

Chairman's report November 2021 - see below

Download and read the summer 2021 edition of the newsletter from the Newsletters page.
The latest Deep Litter Clean details for 27th November have been added to the events page.
Also new on the website for November is the Granny Downs tree trail. Download the PDF file here from the Links page.
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CHAIRMAN’S REPORT NOVEMBER 2021

As we hasten headlong into winter and towards the end of the year it would seem an opportune time to reflect on what has been an extraordinary twelve months, much of it influenced by the longer-term effects of the Pandemic. We can only hope that the worst of it is behind us and life as we knew it will slowly return.
The Downs has played its part in helping our citizens to cope with the mental and physical challenge of surviving successive lock-downs and isolation. The wide-open spaces and fresh air have drawn many additional visitors to the Downs. The Downs supervisor has reported an estimated increase in footfall of 40%. This only emphasises the importance of all our open spaces, none more so than in the last year or so.
There is a down-side to the extra numbers, areas of precious grassland have been trampled as visitors seek to self-distance and the Downs operational team have dealt stoically with unprecedented levels of litter and discarded rubbish. Downs events have come and gone, repairs and reinstatement to the precious greensward have been undertaken and a myriad of football pitches prepared for the season. On your behalf I pass on our thanks to the Downs supervisor, Ben Skuse, and the Downs team for their continued diligence in ensuring the Downs remain Bristol’s jewel in the crown.

Important Information for Members: You may have seen from the monthly news bulletin that the committee after much deliberation has decided to postpone this year’s AGM. This decision was taken against the background of escalating Covid infections and we would be irresponsible in exposing our members to unnecessary risk. The safety of all our members is paramount. The committee will take all necessary actions to ensure that we meet our constitutional responsibilities and that the organisation continues to function effectively. We will ensure members are kept fully informed.

The Lord Mayor confirmed that the Downs Committee would under- take a review of its strategy and governance, looking at questions like what they want to achieve for the Downs, how it should be funded and how the Committee should make decisions about events and developments. This will lead on to a review of how the Downs operates and interacts with the City Council and other stakeholders to achieve those aims. We have offered numerous suggestions to the Committee and we are hopeful that this will be part of an evolving process allowing FOD+AG closer contact with the Downs Committee. Your FOD+AG committee has reviewed the Action Plan that members endorsed at the 2019 AGM. The original five-year plan detailed our forthcoming priorities and the purpose of the review was to measure how we as an organisation had met those priorities. I am pleased to report that despite the negative impact of Covid many of those priorities have been met or progressed. The plan will guide us through what may be turbulent times for the Downs.

Earlier this year Caroline Baker one of our committee members decided to step back from the FOD+AG committee. Caroline played an active role in organising many FOD+AG events and on your behalf, I would like to thank Caroline for her years of dedicated service to the organisation. Whilst I am doing thank yous, I would also like to thank you, the members, for your continued support.      
Robert Westlake
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Downs Review:  August 2021
The Downs Committee have published a Terms of Reference document designed to carry out a high level 'Strategic and Governance Review' and to consider a vision for the future use and management of the Downs and to review governance structures and practices to deliver that vision.
This is a significant document that crucially may lead to the Downs Committee becoming more representative in the way it conducts its business. The document details the contents of the review which includes this paragraph "Review the means by which Downs users, interest groups, and the general public can participate in the governance of the Downs, including publication of meetings documents, attendance at meetings and the right to speak and ask questions." This of course is of great interest to FOD+AG and we have already, along with other like-minded groups, indicated a willingness to collaborate with the Downs committee as it seeks to consider the longer-term stewardship of the Downs. Go to the file here (opens in a new page): Terms_of reference_august 2021.pdf.

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Report from the Chair
Summer 2021
Dear members. Welcome to the summer edition of the Newsletter.
 I hope that you and all your families are well and in good spirits notwithstanding the trying times imposed by the Covid -19 Pandemic.
Despite the depressingly high numbers of infections, it seems that the vaccination programme is beginning to take effect and appears to be breaking the link between infection and hospitalisation.
Your FOD+AG committee met towards the end of May and we are planning to meet again very soon. Two important items from our agenda included agreeing a strategy to get all of our many events and activities up and running again and agreeing FOD+AG’s position and the possible implications regarding future actions related to the Downs for People legal action. {Please see separate item on Downs committee business}
The Downs supervisor continues to report large numbers of visitors to the Downs and has raised concerns about [a} The vast amount of litter and rubbish left behind and the fact that it goes directly to landfill. A rethink on how Down’s waste is managed sustainably is urgently required.
You will have seen from the monthly news bulletin that FOD+AG submitted a statement to the Downs committee. The statement as usual was noted without comment. However, during the course of the meeting, I was pleased to hear the Downs supervisor and several Downs committee members mention favourably the valuable contribution made by FOD+AG.
Final paragraph of our statement submitted to Downs committee:
FOD+AG are pleased that the dispute with the Downs for People group has finally been resolved but remain disappointed that it needed a costly court case to bring it about. Time will tell if the financial burden resulting from defending the action brought by Downs for People will impact negatively on the Downs.
The Friends group would urge the Downs committee and the City Council to take a more holistic approach in the way that the Downs and Avon Gorge are managed going forward. Finance and income generation will be critical and it is our belief that the Downs and Gorge are eminently ‘marketable’ and perfectly
able to sustain itself and even make a contribution to all our public open spaces.
Large events are plainly a part of the strategy but alternative visionary initiatives should be considered. Much could be achieved without compromising the conservation status of the Downs and Gorge.
I hope you are all finding the monthly bulletin useful. It’s a way of us keeping you updated between the quarterly Newsletters. In the coming months there may be much going on and around the Downs and it is important that you the members have as much current information as we can provide.
If for some technical reason you are not receiving the e bulletin or would prefer not to receive it at all please let us know and we will do our best to rectify.
I hope that the lifting of many of the Covid restrictions will allow us all to enjoy what remains of the summer.
Stay Safe & Well
Robert Westlake
Chair

More new arrivals.

Visitors to Avon Gorge are being urged to give four young Kashmir goats that have joined an existing herd time and space to settle in.
The new billy goats have been brought into an area called the Gully to bolster the herd which plays an important role in eating invasive scrub and bramble as part of a conservation project to save the site’s rare plants and habitats.
People going to the Gorge are being encouraged to stay on the main paths, keep dogs on leads and not attempt to feed the goats.  It is particularly important that people keep their distance from the goats while they get used to their new home.
The effort is part of an initiative to restore wildflower-rich grasslands in the Avon Gorge, run by the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project - a partnership of organisations including Bristol City Council, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Bristol Zoological Society, Natural England, University of Bristol, the Society of Merchant Venturers, the Downs Committee, the National Trust Leigh Woods and Leigh Woods - Forestry England.
The four arrivals join two original Kashmirs who have lived in the Avon Gorge since 2011 and four Bagot goats who arrived in March this year.
Bristol City Council’s Downs supervisor, Ben Skuse, said: “The new goats have settled in well with the existing herd and are already doing a fantastic job of eating the invasive scrub.
“We understand that there’s a lot of interest in the new goats but they have a vital conservation job to do, so please don’t approach them or feed them. They have plenty of natural food and if you feed them they may become sick.
“The more scrub and bramble they eat, the more space they make for rare plants like the Bristol onion and Bristol rock-cress to flourish, so we are asking any visitors to stay on the main paths throughout the Gully and not to stray up and down the steep slopes, which causes erosion and will disturb the goats and other wildlife.
“It is also important to please keep dogs on leads or preferably don’t take dogs into the enclosure at all.”
The goats have come from the Great Orme in North Wales and have been donated by Conwy County Borough Council, which manages the Great Orme.
Bristol Zoological Society staff vet, Richard Saunders, checked the new goats on arrival. He said: “The goats had a long journey but were bright-eyed and healthy.
“We checked them over and treated them for any internal and external parasites they might be carrying before they were released into a new environment.“
The herd is monitored and cared for every day by Bristol City Council’s Downs team, and at weekends by volunteers from the Friends of the Downs + Avon Gorge, with Bristol Zoo Gardens also offering additional veterinary advice and care if required.
Becky Belfin, Bristol City Council Nature Conservation Officer, said: “The Avon Gorge is an internationally-important Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). In fact, it’s one of the top three botanical sites in England -- home to over 30 kinds of nationally rare and scarce plants, and rare animals that depend on them.
“Most of the rare plants grow together, in a habitat known as limestone grassland. Over hundreds of years these grasslands were grazed, keeping them open and largely free from trees.
“Grazing stopped in the 1920s and, without nibbling mouths, trees and scrub began to grow, shading out most of the grassland and killing off the majority of the rare plants and the goats are playing an important role in Bristol’s commitment to tackling the ecological emergency, making a vital contribution to the Gorge’s eco-system.”
Dave Collingbourne, from Natural England, said: “The browsing of these primitive, feral goats has helped open the area up, giving rare plants a chance to thrive and spread once again.
“Unfortunately, in recent years we lost two of our original goats due to dog attacks and two to old age. So have been looking for more animals to help with progressing the good habitat restoration work and this is where our new goats come in.”
Thank you to Conwy County Council for their two images of our new Kashmir goats being leaving the Great Orme for their new home in the Avon Gorge. Also, huge thanks to Fraser Wilkinson for his images of our new goats being health-checked by the Bristol Zoo vet team and the pictures of our new goats in the Gully.

MEADOW MAKER
A New Collection by Sally Stafford
3rd – 30th July
It is estimated that 97% of Britain’s wild flower meadows have vanished since the 1930s, and the few that remain are often vulnerable, together with the numerous creatures that depend on them, such as vital pollinators, butterflies, birds and small mammals. The tireless work of conservation charities such as Plantlife has never been more important.
Beginning on National Meadows Day, Saturday July 3rd, our latest exhibition is a celebration of these beautiful habitats, expressed through the encompassing mixed media paintings of Sally Stafford, who has long drawn inspiration from the intricate balance of living colours and changing textures that define unspoilt meadows.
Meadow Maker immerses the viewer in a rare and precious world that deserves to be cherished and protected by us all.
www.cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk
info@cliftoncontemporaryart.co.uk
Clifton Contemporary Art
25 Portland Street
Clifton
Bristol
BS8 4JB
0117 3179713

Urban Commons Futures: In-Common Sites
Dear All,
Do you visit The Downs? Whether you are a dog walker, a nature enthusiast, a cycling commuter or a family who enjoys time out of doors, we want to find out why Clifton and Durdham Downs are important to you. We have designed a participatory mapping project, In-Common Sites that will allow you to explore The Downs and to record your observations of its use, unique habitat and cultural value. The project will involve familiar and creative activities, from walking, observing your surroundings and taking photos to map-making, storytelling or creating a short animation. Through a series of open-ended questions and playful tasks, you will be able to share your experiences of what it means to have access to a large open green space within the city.
In-Common Sites is part of a broader research project called Wastes and Strays that explores the past, present and future of English urban commons. The project is taking place across four cities - Bristol, Brighton, Norwich and Newcastle-upon-Tyne and participants will be able to find out more about the history and current status of urban commons in these areas. We will be launching In-Common Sites on Thursday 17 June, when we will email participants the first creative task. However, you can sign up to join the project at any time up until 1 Oct 2021. There are eight creative tasks, which will be sent out one at a time every couple of weeks. Participants will complete the tasks in their own time and are asked to share their findings with us. The images, stories and observations participants contribute will be included in a set of common field guides and will help to build a picture of the value of public green spaces in our cities.
To participate, you can register by filling in the form on this link https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfh8EtMk9dkKE.../viewform or email Siobhan aturbancommonsfutures@port.ac.uk for further details.

More ‘Hairy Conservationists’ arrive in Avon Gorge
 
Visitors are being urged to play their part in preserving Avon Gorge’s wildlife after the arrival of four rare-breed goats boosted a conservation project to save the site’s rare plants and habitats.
Gorge users have been asked to stay on the main paths, keep their dogs under control or away from the area and avoid approaching or attempting to feed the quartet of Bagot goats that have now joined the herd in the area of the gorge known as the Gully.
Joining two older Kashmir goats already in place, the herd are making a vital contribution to the eco-system in the Gully, with their nibbling of invasive scrub and bramble allowing the opportunity for rare plants to flourish instead.
The Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project - a partnership of organisations including Bristol City Council, Bristol Zoo Gardens, Natural England, University of Bristol, the Society of Merchant Venturers, the Downs Committee, Bristol Zoological Society, the National Trust and Forestry - are behind the initiative to restore wildflower-rich grasslands in the Avon Gorge.
The year-old Bagot goats arrived earlier this month from the Bristol-based ‘Street Goat’ project, which also runs herd conservation projects with the city council and South Gloucestershire authorities in other areas of the city.
The herd are monitored and cared for every day by Bristol City Council’s Downs team, and at weekends by volunteers from the Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge, with Bristol Zoo Gardens also offering additional veterinary advice and care if required.
But the public are also being encouraged to play their part by giving the goats a wide berth to avoid erosion and damage to their habitat
Bristol City Council’s Downs supervisor, Ben Skuse, said: “The new goats have settled in very well. From the moment they arrived, they began eating the invasive scrub. The brown and white Bagots are smaller than the all-white Kashmir goats but they are only one year old so they will grow a little bigger, with their horns growing longer and thicker too.
“We understand that they look very cute but they have a vital conservation job to do, so please don’t approach them or feed them. It is also important to keep dogs on leads or preferably don’t take dogs into the enclosure at all. They have plenty of natural food and if you feed them they may become sick.
“The more scrub and bramble they eat, the more space they make for rare plants like the Bristol onion and Bristol rock-cress to flourish so we are asking any visitors to stay on the main paths throughout the Gully and not to stray up and down the steep slopes, which causes erosion and will disturb the goats and other wildlife.”
Becky Belfin, Bristol City Council Nature Conservation Officer, said: “The Avon Gorge is an internationally-important Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). In fact, it’s one of the top three botanical sites in England - home to over 30 kinds of nationally rare and scarce plants, and rare animals that depend on them.
“Most of the rare plants grow together, in a habitat known as limestone grassland. Over hundreds of years these grasslands were grazed, keeping them open and largely free from trees. Grazing stopped in the 1920s and without nibbling mouths trees and scrub began to grow up, shading out most of the grassland and killing of the majority of the rare plants.”
Chris Westcott, from Natural England, said: “In June 2011, our six Kashmir goats arrived from the Great Orme. The browsing of these primitive, feral goats has helped open the area up, giving rare plants like the Bristol onion and Bristol rock-cress, a chance to thrive and spread once again.
“Unfortunately, in recent years we lost two of our original goats due to dog attacks and two to old age. So have been looking for more animals to help with progressing the good habitat restoration work and this is where our new Bagot goats come in.”
Later in the year, the Avon Gorge & Downs Wildlife Project will be running guided walks so that people can find out more about the goats and the special wildlife that they are helping to protect.  Details will be published on www.avongorge.org.uk and www.facebook.com/facebook.

Judge Rules in Favour of Downs Campaigners
The Downs for People group led by Susan Carter have won an out of court settlement against the Downs committee and the City Council. The Downs for People case related to a challenge against the zoo being allowed to park cars on the Downs for the next twenty years.
The outcome of the order means that the Downs committee will no longer be able to use the Downs for car parking for non-Downs events. The order was approved and signed by the Hon Mr Justice Henshaw on Wednesday 12 May.
The order permits the zoo to continue using the Ladies Mile site and the main North car park until they leave the Clifton site.
The Friends of the Downs are delighted that this saga has finally been resolved but disappointed that it needed a court case to bring about a solution. The legal costs to bring and defend the case will undoubtably have a bearing on the Downs finances.

Chair’s Report Spring 2021
Welcome to the spring edition of the Newsletter. Hopefully we can now look forward to a spring and summer with a bit more optimism. The roll out of the vaccine offers promise of freedom from the tedium of successive lock downs. Cases still remain obstinately high but everything seems to be on track for
a return to enjoying long anticipated social activities with family and friends. Spring has sprung and although winter has its devotees there’s something to be said for spring with its new life and warmer weather.
It has been a long and hard-fought battle to bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control and the Downs has played its part in helping us all get through it. Citizens have been able to enjoy regular exercise, fresh air and relief from the mental strain of coping with the virus. Never have our public open spaces been more important to the physical and mental wellbeing of our citizens.
Numbers of winter visitors have never been so high with estimates suggesting an increase of 50% and on some fine days as high as 75%. This as you would expect has had an impact on the Downs. The Downs team have battled throughout the winter to stay on top of increased litter and rubbish left behind by inconsiderate visitors. In addition, FOD+AG volunteers have throughout the winter months removed unprecedented amounts of rubbish from some of the less accessible areas of the Downs.
In normal winters the Downs has had a chance to recover from the impact of busy summer months. The popularity of the Downs and major events do have a bearing on ground conditions. If you have walked around Circular Road recently you can’t fail to notice that the jogging trails or desire lines have become wider and wider as runners and walkers look to avoid the muddy areas and maintain safe distancing from gasping harriers. The good news is that the Downs are resilient, most damaged areas will recover naturally, other parts will need a little TLC from the Downs team.
In March FOD+AG held its first Zoom talk. Dr. Yealand Kalfayan presented to an invited audience of 95 a fascinating talk on the subject of Butterflies. The presentation was warmly received by those attending as Yealand described Butterflies both local and from farther afield and how to set about finding and photographing these
appealing insects.
FOD+AG Newsletter 2 Spring 2021
We were hoping to roll out remote meetings to the full membership but for the moment due to technical reasons we are unable to do so. Hopefully as the burden of lock-down is eased we will be able to meet again in person. My own view is that although remote meetings have allowed us to stay in contact with loved ones and for business to continue the process does little for social interaction and meetings can become stilted and somewhat subdued.
One of the key drivers from the FOD+AG Action Plan was to increase our membership. In particular to reach out to a wider audience and to a more diverse demographic. I am delighted to report that FOD+AG has been steadily growing over the past couple of years, but there is one section of the population that we are failing to attract and that is our younger citizens. If we are to grow as an organisation it is imperative that we look to redress this imbalance. It is important that the legacy of the Downs is protected and for those who follow us to recognise the part they might play in ensuring that legacy is safeguarded.
The trick is what do we need to do to make us as an organisation more appealing to a younger audience. The obvious route is social media and we are working to update and refresh all our media platforms.
One thing we could consider is creating a youth wing to bring fresh ideas and to get involved. We know young people are keen volunteers so there is a resource to tap into. We just have to find the way.
If members have ideas of their own or wish to comment on the proposal please feel free to get back to us.
The first phase of Bristol Zoos redevelopment of the Clifton site will be a planning application for the West Cark Park located in College Road. The application will include a proposal to develop the West Car Park with a 4.5 storey apartment block and 2 storey mews houses on the western part of the site, 65 dwellings in all. There will be only 45 car parking spaces but ‘plentiful cycle parking’. Whilst this proposal is not directly a concern to FOD+AG architecturally there are other obvious implications; particularly in respect of the allocated car parking provision.
FOD+AG Newsletter 3 Spring 2021
65 dwellings with only 45 parking spaces suggests there could be a problem. It is understood that the College Road site will not be eligible for the Residents Parking Scheme so where would any additional vehicles be accommodated? The obvious answer is to look to securing additional spaces near-by and that can only lead you to one conclusion, the North Car Park and this is where we would have an interest. Members will be aware that the North Car Park falls within the remit of the Downs committee who may well be encouraged to consider another lease arrangement. Any release of land for car parking will also impact on the next phase of the development, the main zoo site.
FOD+AG remains opposed to any part of the Downs being used to provide permanent car parking spaces.
You can read more about the proposal at https://bristolzoo.org.uk/latest- zoo-news/bzs-opens-consultation-on-development-of-its-west-car-park
If you have been out and about around the top of the Whiteladies Road area recently then you may well have noticed the splendid display of spring bulbs. These were the bulbs planted late last year by FOD+AG volunteers. The display ensures all year-round interest as we look forward to the summer months when the herbaceous planting scheme will be in full flower.
The Downs Committee met on March 22nd The main items from the agenda were Finance where it was reported that loss of events income due to Covid-19 has had a serious impact but the shortfall would be met from previous underspends. Next year would be critical in terms of income generation. {Please see separate item} The Downs supervisor reported vastly increased visitor numbers this winter with all the attendant problems previously described. Significant scrub clearance had been undertaken to contain encroachment and maintain open grassland habitat. The supervi- sor explained that some areas of previously mown grassland would be left unmown to improve biodiversity. The new wildflower beds at Christchurch Green would not be seeded until the Autumn. Downs football would restart for approximately six weeks without dressing room provision. Events officer reported schedule of events for 2021. {See separate item}
FOD+AG Newsletter 4 Spring 2021
Your FOD+AG committee are pleased to have been able to return to hard copy for this Newsletter, but a member has asked the question. “Why not continue with the electronic version and save the cost of printing” This is a pertinent question that needs consideration. What do you the members of FOD+AG feel about discontinuing printed versions of the Newsletter and distributing just an electronic version? Your feedback is important and will be considered by the committee.
If you would like to comment and feel that we should retain the printed version of the Newsletter or you would prefer an electronic version then please respond directly to the chair at robertjwestlake@gmail.com
I will finish much where I started with a message of hope, hope that we will all have come through this most difficult of times relatively unscathed. Hope that we will soon have had our vaccines and can enjoy all that we hold dear. Hope that just maybe, Covid will give us all a chance to reboot and remind us of the fragility of life and the need to spend our precious time more carefully.
Stay Safe & Well
Robert Westlake