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Lichens, mosses and liverworts walk
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Saturday 5th December 2009 - Play Area OpeningThe official opening of the new Troopers Hill Play area coinsided with the BBC's 'Tree O'Clock' tree planting record attempt. This gave us the chance to join in with this record attempt as we planted some hazel whips to form the outside of the new maze structure. |
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Sunday 11th October 2009 - Family Fun Dog ShowOur second dog show, again run by Friends of Troopers Hill and Bristol Parks with support from HEART pet rescue. The event was free of charge due to the continuing support of Beeses Bar & Tea Gardens. The morning rain stopped just before we were due to start and we then had a dry afternoon, apart from one heavy shower which led to the 'how many people can you get in a gazebo challenge'. Our local dog warden and PCSOs came along, as did the PDSA and CAT protection. Lucas Vets provided the judges and some of the prizes. As well as the 10 classes in the main ring, our fun scurry was also running all afternoon. New for this year we had a water challenge, where the winning dog retrieved 6 toys from the paddling pool and lots of others had fun splashing around. A big tank you to Julie, Kit and Susan for all the work they put in organising the event and to everyone who came along to help, despite the damp morning. |
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Sun 6th September 2009 - History WalkA short walk around the hill talking about the history of the hill and the surrounding area. There was a good mix of people with some new to the area and some who remembered the hill and some of the cottages that stood nearby from when they were young. |
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Sat 8th August 2009 - Bugs & BeastiesAfter last year's wash out and a very wet July, we were especially pleased to have perfect weather for this year's Bugs & Beasties event. Rupert Higgins again led an ethusiastic group of children armed with nets and bug pots to find some of the Hill's smallest inhabitants. |
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Sundays 12th & 26th July, 2nd & 9th August 2009
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Saturday 20th June 2009 - Music on the HillA summer evening of music on Troopers Hill provided by the Bristol Concert Wind Band. |
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Sunday 17th May 2009 - Wildlife WalkWe awoke to heavy rain but fortunately it stopped just before the walk was due to start. A small group who had braved the weather were joined by Rupert Higgins of Wessex Ecological Consultancy for a look at the wildlife of Troopers Hill. |
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Sunday 19th April 2009 - Avon Valley WalkFriends of Troopers Hill joined with the South Bristol Riverscapes Project for our annual exploration of some of the wonderful sites in our part of the Avon Valley.
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Friday 10th April 2009 - Good Friday ServiceThe traditional Good Friday Service on Troopers Hill is organised by Churches Together in East Bristol. The procession started from Summerhill Methodist Church at 11.30am and came to Troopers Hill via the main road, The Avenue and Malvern Rd. Friends of Troopers Hill were pleased to help out by organising an Easter Egg hunt for the children after the service. We also set up a display in our gazebo tell visitors about the hill, its wildlife and history. Despite some light rain showers there was a good turn out for this annual event. |
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Sunday 2nd November 2008 - Fungi ForayWe were again led by Justin Smith for this tour of Troopers Hill and Troopers Hill Woodland looking for fungi. It was a dry morning after a very wet night following a cold week with several nights of frost. Although the weather wasn't ideal we found many different types of fungi - Justin's report on what we found is here: |
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Friday 31st October 2008 - Through the Seasons WalkOur last Through the Seasons walk was blessed with glorious sunshine. A small but enthusiastic group join Rob to explore the hill and the woodland while learning about the site's history and wildlife. We were rewarded with a wonderful view of a green woodpecker. |
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Thursday 16th October 2008 - Owl ProwlExpert Ian McGuire took over 30 people on a moon-lit hunt for owls. Although local residents often hear owls over the hill at night we didn't hear any on this occassion. However, Ian was able to tell everyone a lot about owls and their habitat and was able to introduce everyone to his own owl at the end of the walk. |
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Sunday 12th October 2008 - Family Fun Dog ShowA great afternoon event run by Friends of Troopers Hill and Bristol Parks with support from HEART pet rescue. The afternoon was blessed by fanastic weather and we had excellent support from Gavin our assistant CPM at Bristol Parks, the dog warden, the PCSOs, the RSPCA, PDSA, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Lucas Vets and the public. A special thank you to to Julie for all her hard work in running the classes. Held on Troopers Hill Field the afternoon featured lots of fun classes with rosettes and prizes for the winning dogs. Our thanks to Beeses' Bar and Tea Gardens for their kind donation that allowed us to put on this event free of charge and to Lucas Vets for sponsoring the rosettes and judging.
Our fun scurry was also running all afternoon. Whether or not you own a dog we would be pleased to get your views about dogs on Troopers Hill. You can download a copy of our survey form here: Friends of Troopers Hill Dogs Survey |
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Sunday 5th October 2008 - Avon Valley WalkFriends of Troopers Hill and Nature in the City again joined with the Bristol Living Rivers Project for what has now become an annual exploration of some of the wonderful sites in our part of the Avon Valley. Despite the heavy early morning rain 13 people joined us at Conham for a 10am start. Due to the weather we had to restrict the walk to the north side of the river and so visited Conham, Dundridge Park, Troopers Hill and Troopers Hill Woods. We were also fortunate to get permission to visit the eighteenth century Bath House that is hidden in the woodland not far from Troopers Hill and features in a video on our Video Project page. You can see the planned route of the walk and information about some of the sites by clicking on the link below - we hope to be able to do the full walk next year. A Nature in the City Event and part of 'Wildwaters' see www.wildwaters.org.uk for details of other events. ▲ |
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Sunday 10th August 2008 - Tai Chi on the HillFunded by Bristol Primary Care Trust A heavy shower just before we were due to start failed to dampen the enthusiasm for the final Tai Chi session on the Field for this year. Although it was windy and the grass was wet the weather stayed dry while Sunya (replacing Ben as instructor for this session) took us through another set of moves. Afterwards we had an unexpected demonstration of some more advanced moves from Sunya and three of his colleagues. |
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Saturday 9th August 2008 - Family Fun PicnicUnfortunately this year's Family event for the weekend of the Balloon Fiesta, which was to have featured a Bugs and Beaties hunt had to be cancelled due to the weather. |
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Friday 25th July 2008 - Through the Seasons WalkFor our third Through the Seasons walk this year the 'purple shade of heath' was really looking at it best. |
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Sunday 20th July 2008 - Tai Chi on the HillFunded by Bristol Primary Care Trust Another breezy day on Troopers Hill Field for our third Tai Chi session and Ben moved us to the other side of the field to get some shelter from the wind. |
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Sunday 29th June 2008 - Tai Chi on the HillFunded by Bristol Primary Care Trust A dry if breezy day for our second Tai Chi session with Ben from the Bristol School of Tai Chi. Again there was an excellent response, with several people saying they would be interested in joining regular classes if a suitable venue can be found in the area. |
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Saturday 28th June 2008 - Music on the HillAs a relaxation after a hectic afternoon we held our second summer evening music concert. Following the success of 2006, the 2007 event was washed out but the weather held for us this year, though the wind created a few problems with keeping the music on the stands. The music was performed by the South Gloucestershire Youth Jazz Orchestra (SoGYJO) who put on a wonderful performance that was enjoyed by a very appreciative audience. SoGYJO is organised as part of the South Gloucestershire Music Service and receives financial support from the Rosemary Bugden Charitable Trust. Our thanks to Greg Mort for additional photographs of both this event and Trooping the Hill. ▲ |
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Saturday 28th June 2008 - Trooping the HillA new local tradition to celebrate the summer and uncover the secrets of Troopers Hill... This was a fun, interactive performance that whisked us on a journey through time and space sharing stories, music and song inspired by Troopers Hill. More details & photos of Trooping the Hill >> |
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Sunday 8th June 2008 - Tai Chi on the HillFunded by Bristol Primary Care Trust We were blessed with a wonderful sunny June morning for our first Tai Chi session. Ben from the Bristol School of Tai Chi took us through the first moves of the short form and gave us some insight into how popular this activity is in China. This was a new experience for most people but everyone said they would be back for the later sessions. |
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Friday 25th April 2008 - Through the Seasons WalkThe second of four relaxed Friday strolls over the hill this year. One of the features of Troopers Hill that you will not find anywhere else in Bristol is the wild broom. Broom has bright yellow flowers in the Spring and was giving a wonderful display, though the cold spring meant that it was not as far advanced as at this time last year. We were able to use the new steps on the path through Troopers Hill Woods that have been built by two year-10 pupils from John Cabot Academy who were taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme. We were also pleased to be joined by two members of staff from local schools who came to find out more about the hill with the aim of getting local school children involved in some projects on the hill later in the year. |
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Sunday 30th March 2008 - Early Bird Walk
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Friday 21st March 2008 - Good Friday ServiceThe traditional Good Friday Service on Troopers Hill is organised by Churches Together in East Bristol. The procession started from Summerhill Methodist Church at 11.30am and came to Troopers Hill via the main road, The Avenue and Malvern Rd. Friends of Troopers Hill were be on hand on the hill to tell visitors about the hill, its wildlife and history. |
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Sunday 2nd March 2008 - Geology WalkLocal geomorphologist Eileen Stonebridge took us on a tour of discovery on Troopers Hill to learn more about the 300 million years of history hidden in the rocks. Eileen provided much of the content of our Geology Leaflet and was a very entertaining and enthusiastic speaker on a sunny Sunday morning. |
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Friday 1st February 2008 - Through the Seasons WalkOur series of Friday strolls over the hill proved so popular last year that we decided to run them again in 2008. On a bright and sunny February morning, we attracted several people who had not been to the hill for many years. As well as describing the history and wildlife this month's walk was a chance to look at the work that had been carried out in accordance with the Troopers Hill LNR Management Planby Bristol Parks over the winter to protect the heathland and grassland from encroaching bramble and scrub. |
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Friday 7th December 2007 - Through the Seasons WalkFor our final Friday meander over Troopers Hill for this year we were lucky to have a dry morning after a very wet and windy night, though there was a cold wind. Even at this time of year this is still some colour on the hill, the gorse was in flower and we saw a late flowering golden rod. There was also a colourful jay in the gully. We were pleased to be joined by 3 different walking for health groups. |
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Sunday 14th October 2007 - Kite Flying EventFor the second year running we managed to choose a day without wind for trying to fly kites. Unbelievably there was even less wind than last year. After some early attempts when a slight breeze appeared, all thoughts of kite flying demonstrations were put to one side as we watched smoke in the distance rise straight up. |
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Sunday 7th October 2007 - Fungi ForayLed by Justin Smith this tour of Troopers Hill and the adjacent woodland found 24 different species. Considering the dry weather so far this autumn this was far more than the organisers had predicted!. Over 40 people joined us, many who were visiting Troopers Hill for the first time. The event was organised as part of the hugely successful Nature in the City Project and given its popularity we hope that Justin will join us for another foray next year. |
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Saturday 22nd September 2007 - Troopers Hill Discovery DayTo celebrate the conclusion of our Breathing Places Project we held an exhibition on Troopers Hill Field in a big tent kindly loaned by the Forest of Avon. |
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Sunday 9th September 2007 - Avon Valley WalkFriends of Troopers Hill and Nature in the City joined forces with the Bristol Living Rivers Project again this year for an exploration of some of the wonderful sites in our part of the Avon Valley. This guided walk took us through Conham, Dundridge Park, Troopers Hill, St Anne’s Woods, Nightingale Valley & Eastwood Farm finishing at Beeses' Bar and Tea Gardens to catch the ferry back to Conham. The weather was ideal with lots of sunshine but not too warm for a walk of just under 6 miles with some steep sets of steps. |
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Friday 7th September 2007 - Through the Seasons WalkOur third Friday walk was blessed with warm sunshine and blue skies. Some of the heather was still in flower and there was plenty of the yellow golden rod. Some of the broom had also got confused with the seasons and was showing its yellow flowers. Some of the walkers were making their first visit to the hill, others were regular visitors but we hope that everyone learnt something new.
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Thur 30th August 2007 - Aero-Bat-icsHaving seen bats flying at the end of the two BRERC Workshops in the week before this event we were hopeful that they would put on a good display again this evening. Over forty people joined us on a dry but slightly breezy evening and Avon Bat Group had kindly loaned some bat detectors, but unfortunately most of the bats kept away. There were a couple of brief sightings as bats flew overhead but none of the aerial displays that we have sometimes seen over the hill.
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Saturday 11th August 2007 - Family Fun Picnic A fantastic weekend with the wet summer of 2007 finally giving way to blue skies and sunshine. |
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Throughout the summer 2007
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Saturday 30th June 2007 - Music on the HillFortunately the rain was forecast well in advance, so although we were disappointed to have to cancel this event we were able to make the descision on the Thursday and give people plenty of notice. Radio Bristol described it as a wise descision when they reported it on the morning show. We hope to see you all next year! |
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Friday 1st June 2007 - Through the Seasons WalkAnother dry day for the second of four short Friday walks to explore Troopers Hill, its history and wildlife. |
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Thur 24th May 2007 - Tree Gazing WalkTree spotting on Troopers Hill LNR, Troopers Hill Field and in Crews Hole Woodland on a wonderful sunny evening. |
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Friday 6th April 2007 - Good Friday ServiceThis year's Good Friday service on Troopers Hill, organised by local churches, was blessed with great weather and again saw a great turn out. Friends of Troopers Hill again had a gazebo and display on the site in order to spread the word about Troopers Hill Local Nature Reserve. |
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Friday 2nd March 2007 - Through the Seasons WalkWe were blessed with wonderful early spring sunshine for the first of four short Friday walks to explore Troopers Hill, its history and wildlife. |
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Thursday 1st March 2007 - CABE Space Conference VisitFriends of Troopers Hill were delighted to be asked to show Troopers Hill to some of the delagates to the CABE Space Conference being held in Bristol. We were able to talk about our activities on the hill and how we work with Bristol Parks. Our visitors were from Parks departments around the country and seemed to be impressed with what we have achieved over the last 3 years.
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Thursday 15th February 2007 - Quiz Night & RaffleThree teams from Friends of Troopers Hill did battle with 9 other teams from other nature reserve groups, Bristol Parks and South Gloucestershire Council at Beeses' Bar and Tea Gardens.
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Website produced by the Friends of Troopers Hill www.troopers-hill.org.uk |