Share your Snuff Mills memores

The first project that is part of the Snuff Mills People's Millions project is about to get under way. Working with pupils from Begbrook School, we are going to put together a book and DVD about the valley and people's memories about it. We are looking for old photos and for people who have special memories or experiences about Snuff Mills they would like to share. The photo was taken in the 1930s and shows that children have caught tiddlers in the valley for generations.

If you want to share photos or would like to be interviewed, or know someone that would be great to interview, please email us at snuffmills@hotmail.co.uk and we will explain how to get involved. If you have any stories you want to share now, you can always post a reply to this entry too. We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Parks Forum Walk

Members of Bristol Parks Forum enjoyed a walk in the valley recently. We showed them around Snuff Mills first and talked about the People's Millions grant. Some of the other parks groups have also been very successful at raising funds for their local greenspace so they gave us some great advice on how to persuade the Council to put some more money in to the area. We also visited Laundry Field and the forum members could understand why we were concerned about the future of this field. Finally we walked through Grove Wood and shared with them the whole sorry saga about the wood since Mr Jafari bought it just over two years ago. Someone said there has been enough intrigue and drama associated with Grove Wood to make a TV show. Maybe one day we will write it all down. You wouldn't believe some of the things we have discovered or the things that have happened behind the scenes, even over the last month or so, that we are too dignified to make public at this time.

Red River

On Sunday 10th Jan the river Frome turned red all along the Grove Woods/Snuff Mills stretch. This alarming colour was accompanied by a sticky foam (not to be confused with the more normal froth when the river level is high) which coated the entire surface and lasted for at least 8 hours. The incident was reported to the Environment Agency who investigated. With help from a similar report phoned in from a member of the public at Folly Brook on Tuesday they believe they have now traced the source to an area in Westerleigh. They obviously need any further incidents reported as soon as possible to enable them to come out to test & trace the pollutant. If anyone see anything of this nature please phone the Environment Agency pollution incident hotline - 0800 80 70 60. It's free and is open 24 hours a day.

UPDATE: The source of the pollution has been traced to a business but we are unable to say more as it is now the subject of a prosecution. There have been no further incidents.

Laundry Field latest

The Avon & Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership have sent us this information to reassure everyone about some works that will take place on their land.

"Over the course of the next 4-6 weeks there will be contractors, equipment and potentially machinery on the site to excavate and lay a footpath. The footpath itself will be 1 meter in width and made of concrete and is essential to allow our staff to carry out their security functions and ensure the integrity of the perimeter fence. We will try and avoid the need for these contractors to cross over or work on the current field, however I have asked the Homes & Communities Agency for permission to do this if required which they have agreed.

I am confident that these works will not have any major effect upon the local environment and can assure you that the current vegetated bank will remain in place to shield the unit in the same manner as it is now."

So if you see work happening in the unit or on the edge of Laundry Field, it is not a serious threat to the field or a prelude to anything sinister.