Events and What's On
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Next deep litter clearance: Saturday 31st January 2026.
The next deep litter clearance session will be on Saturday 31 January, between 10am and 1130am. We will be meeting on Ladies Mile, as near as possible to the last parking space before Fountain Hill: https://w3w.co/shunts.honest.impact . We have been asked by our partners to cover the area of the Zoo Banks and depending upon numbers will extend this out to cover the wider adjacent Downs. All equipment is provided but please wear clothing suitable for the weather and terrain. A further two events, before the nesting bird season starts, are on 28 Feb and 28 March. So that we can plan how much kit is needed, do please let us know if you would like to attend by email: [email protected]. We look forward to welcoming new volunteers. https://www.facebook.com/fodagbristol ___________________________________________________________________ A new series of Dead Hedging sessions starting on 8th February Time to join in with Friends of the Downs and Avon Gorge and help and learn about Dead Hedging? Here are the upcoming dates: 8th, 12th and 22nd of February, and 1st March 2026. The time will be 10.00 - 12.00 For further details please sign up with Robin: [email protected] Thank you. ________________________________________________________ 
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A couple of pictures below of the dedicated deep cleaning team on previous Downs clearances .
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New Avon Gorge and Downs wildlife project event:
Sunday 16th November 2025 10:00 am Clifton Down meet at the Children's playground underneath the Observatory, near to the Suspension Bridge Get Directions Buds, Bark and Beauty – discovery session https://avongorge.org.uk/?event=winter-tree-id-on-the-promenade-session&event_date=2025-11-16 
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Ladies Mile Closure:
After the success of the first Ladies Mile Road closure on May 18th Friends of the Downs are closing the road again on Sunday September 14th. We were very lucky with the weather last time, there were lots of play activities for the children including trips to see the goats in the gully. Bicycles were being checked and registered by the police team and the Friends of the Downs volunteers were busy handing out leaflets and answering questions. Closing the road allows everyone a safe car free day to enjoy themselves. Families, dog walkers, cyclists and skateboarders can all enjoy a really pleasant atmosphere. The road will be closed from 10:00 am until 16:00 pm on Sunday 14th September and Friends of the Downs are looking for volunteers to help out on the day. If you are available for a couple of hours either in the morning or afternoon to attend the barriers at either end of Ladies Mile, Friends of the Downs would be very grateful. Please contact [email protected] |
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Seven great and new events have just been published by the Avon Gorge and Downs Wildlife Project team avongorge.org.uk/whats-on/ see below...
Next event of interest.
The date for you diary is 22nd August 2025 Ramble with a woodland ranger : summer tree id & woodland management at Leigh Woods.
Friday 22nd August 10.00am - 12.00pm, £10.00. Experience the dazzling beauty of these ancient, mature woodlands and the array of amazing native trees, plants and animals which call this 300-acre mixed woodland habitat on the edge of Bristol their home. In this Discovery session with the Ranger of Leigh Woods we’ll practise our plant and tree identification skills, bask in the green canopy and find out how to maintain the balance by managing the woodlands for wildlife, people and resource. Native UK tree identification and exploration. Leigh Woods. Suitable for adults and children aged 12+. Children must be accompanied by an adult. _____________________________________________________________ Next Up Wednesday 3rd September 2025
A world of bats: wildlife talk & exploration of bats on Clifton Down.
Wednesday 3rd September 7.00-9.00pm, £12.00. Following a fascinating and entertaining talk on bats of the world inside by expert, Dr Luke Romaine, we will head up to Clifton Down together as dusk falls to explore the bat life on-site. Listen for a variety of echolocations with our bat detectors and use thermal imagery & screens to ‘see’ our bats & their sounds waves! Native UK wildlife talk & exploration. Conservation Education Centre, Clifton Down. Suitable for adults and children aged 14+. 
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The other events are as follows:
Your Living Downs family day – Ladies Mile closure family day.
Sunday 14th September 10.00am – 3.00pm, free of charge, just turn up. Join us with the family as we close the Ladies Mile to cars for the day and revel in the peace amongst the birdsong and greenery. There’ll be activities for the family, walks to the Goat Gully, a street art competition, a tour of Downs nature spots, bike checks, traditional games, cycling up and down the Ladies Mile and more! Family joy day. Clifton & Durdham Downs. All ages. 
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Owl Prowl : family fun workshop.
Friday 3rd October 6.00 – 8.30pm, £20.00 (1 child + 1 adult). It’s the time of year once again to get involved in our amazing annual Owl Prowl with Ed Drewitt, well-known naturalist and author! Expect some extraordinary surprises as we dissect an owl pellet to find out what our barn owls have been eating for dinner, peer through the microscope and discover all about our stunning British owls. Then we’ll be off out to Clifton Down exploring, for an unforgettable owl prowl adventure as dusk falls. Family fun exploration. Conservation education centre, Clifton Down. Suitable for 1 child accompanied by 1 adult (aged over 18). Suitable for children aged 5 to 10. Not suitable for under 5. 
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Saints, sinners and false diamonds : heritage story discovery
Sunday 12th October 10.15am – 12.00pm, £12.00. Another chance to discover our brilliant, imaginative story-session created uniquely for us and performed by well-known writer and story-walker Clare Reddaway. Clare brings to life the Downs’ past - full of highwaymen, colliers and loo ladies; legionnaires, suffragettes and Cavaliers; gibbets, turnpikes and flying machines: all of which have played their extraordinary part in the fascinating and hidden history of Bristol's 'jewel in the crown' – Clifton and Durdham Downs. Join us for a meander through the past as Clare weaves stories from the rocks and meadows beneath your feet, and see the Downs through a lens you've never noticed before! Heritage story session. Clifton and Durdham Downs. Suitable for adults. 
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Bristol’s buzzing bugs – wildlife talk.
Wednesday 22nd October 7.00 – 8.15pm, £8.00. Be thrilled by Bristol’s brilliant buzzing bugs and find out which ones the incredibly special historical natural landscapes of the Avon Gorge and Downs play host to, including Bristol rarities. Hear Bristol Museum’s entomology expert Ray Barnett (Senior Vice-president, British Entomological and Natural History Society) divulge fifty years of knowledge. Ray will also share his experience to help you identify different pollinators and how to encourage them to visit you! Native wildlife talk. Conservation education centre. Suitable for adults. 
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Birds of a feather – winter bird workshop.
Sunday 9th November 8.30am – 1.30pm, £30.00. Get closer to your local wildlife and get involved in identifying resident and over-wintering migrant birds on the Downs. Ed Drewitt, author and well-known naturalist, shows us how bird behaviour changes as we enter the winter months and how to explore these uplifting animals at this time of year. We start off up on Clifton Down with Ed guiding us in our own fieldwork before heading down to the Conservation Education Centre where we focus, inside, in more detail on the different species. Winter bird workshop. Clifton Down, Conservation education centre. Suitable for adults. 
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