Sponsored mutt strut and dog show

Last year's mutt strut and fun dog show was so popular and so much fun that we have decided to hold another one. It will take place on Sunday 15th May from 2-5pm. There will be a sponsored 3 mile mutt strut around Snuff Mills and Oldbury Court to raise funds for Snuff Mulls Action Group and the DAWG - Dog Action Welfare Group Bristol. It starts from the Snuff Mills car park and you can register from 1.30pm.

From 3.30pm it will be time for the dogs to show off in the fun dog show. Who will be this year's Queen of the Valley and which dog will do the longest sit? This part of the event will take place in the grassy area just beyond the mill where the picnic bench is in Snuff Mills. You do not have to take part in the mutt strut to join in the fun dog show.

Sponsor forms and entry forms for the fun dog show are available by emailing us at snuffmills@hotmail.co.uk

Woodland walk Sun 17th April

Join us for a woodland walk to celebrate Spring from 2pm on Sunday 17th April. Naturalist Rupert Higgins will lead the walk around the valley and he will show you all of the amazing plantlife of the area. Bluebells will be in full bloom by then, but Rupert will also show you the rare plants that live in the ancient woodland areas of the valley, including this beautiful Solomon's Seal that some people also grow in their gardens.

Meet in the Snuff Mills car park at 2pm. Wear appropriate footwear - trainers should be alright if it is dry.

Grove Wood update

The Inquiry in to whether Grove Wood should become a Town/Village Green was adjouneed after four days of evidence last week. The hearing will start again in July when more evidence will be presented and Lord Jafari and his agent, John Mair, will give evidence and be cross examined. Both sides will also have a chance to sum up their cases. After this, the Inspector will write his report and we should know whether he recommends that Grove Wood should be registered as a Town Village Green by the early Autumn at the latest.

Thanks to everyone who came and gave evidence at the hearing and to others who came along to watch the proceedings.

Wickham Glen accident

Late on Friday night/Saturday morning a jeep type vehicle collided with the new entrance to Wickham Glen resulting in damage to the bollards and the new wall. Luckily it appears that no one was hurt.

It's terrible that this has happened just days after the completion of the new cycle track and pathway through the Glen. This picture shows the entrance before the accident.

Dippers by the Mill

For those who can remember back to the dawn chorus last year when dippers flew over us, well today whilst down at the mill I had the rare privilege of seeing a pair of dippers. They flew along the river about a meter high and decided to stop just opposite the benches overlooking the river by the mill. What a truly wonderful sight. Yet another example as to why it is so important that we all fight to protect the valley for all its wondefull inhabitants. I have often heard people say they had seen dippers upstream but never thought I would see them and yet today they decided to stop say hello by the gardens if only for a short while!

Otter Spotted

A member of SMAG saw an otter on Friday evening just before dark. It was swimming upsteam along Grove Woods but for obvious reasons we don't want to give away the exact location. The sighting, being at dusk, proves that there is a holt (an otter den) somewhere nearby as they will only start to venture out once the light is going. This is more proof, if it were needed, that the woods and the river banks need protection of the highest sort. We need the Local Nature Reserve plan to be completed as soon as possible.

Ghost seen at Snuff Mills?

We were sent this message today by someone, has anybody had similar experiences in the valley?

"My wife and I walked along the river Frome from Frenchay for the first time this week, what a wonderful walk! As we arrived at Snuffmills there was an elderly couple in front of us with an alsation dog. They turned right around the old snuffmills and entered the building through what we assumed was the entrance to the cafe. When we tried to do the same there were black railings and a padlocked iron fence leading to the waterwheel. They had walked through the fence and disappeared.
Has anyone else had a similar experience?"

Grove wood Town Green Hearing coming soon

An official notice has now been served to confirm that an Inquiry in to whether Grove Wood should become a Town Green will take place in April.

You can help us by providing details of your use of Grove Wood as evidence to be used at the Inquiry. Please email us at snuffmills@hotmail.co.uk for more details of how you can help.

Signs of Spring

The first signs of spring seem to be showing up in the valley. Greater spotted woodpeckers have been heard drumming, while great tits have been seen carrying nesting material around. Some of the ducks already have paired off along the river too. Snowdrops are also out in the garden, hopefully the first of many flowers to come.

Wickham Glen fiasco?

We have been getting reports that the works to construct a cyclists' ramp in Wickham Glen are damaging the area and we have been to have a close look too.

Work of this kind is always messy, but these before and after photos do show the serious impact that the works are having on the Glen.

Mark Logan, our Vice Chair, has been to take a close look so that he can compare the work being done with the precautions that were meant to happen to make sure the construction of the ramp has the least impact possible. Here's what he reports:

* At the entrance to the Glen a section of wall has been removed (at no point was this ever mentioned) thus destroying part of the historic fabric of the Glen.
* At the compound outside the Glen, soils have been stripped and just dumped behind the wall and into the woodland edge.
* As you go into the Glen a large pile a tree trunks etc has been dumped next to the river bank.
* There has been excessive movement of plant across the Glen that has occurred after the access track has been constructed. This can be clearly seen by the tracks going across the grass and then onto the track chewing up the geotextile separator.
* Just before you get to the ramp roots and debris has been dumped into the edge of the brambles.
* When you eventually get to the woodland and ramp area things are not being done in accordance with the arboricultural development statement. It categorically excludes the use of herras fencing with rubber feet and also states a wooden kick board should be used at its base.
* The Group 2 trees are supposed to be fenced and this has not been done.

We have constantly expressed our concerns over the potential damage to the Glen during construction and we were assured that the Glen would not be damaged. Of course Wickham Glen can recover from a lot of the damage, although it probably will never have the same special feel that it had before. But even so, how long will that recovery take if the work is not being done with enough care and attention?

We will be meeting the Council next week to discuss the situation.

Grove Wood Town Green Hearing

A hearing will be held in April to help decide whether Grove Wood should become a Town Green. If this was to happen, the rights of local people to enjoy Grove Wood would be protected. An Inspector has been appointed and he will hear evidence from those in favour of this (Snuff Mills Action Group and the people who use Grove Wood) and those against the idea (that's the landowner and his related companies). The Inspector will then decide whether to recommend that Grove Wood should become a Town Green and write a report for the Council.

Please contact us if you can provide photos showing people using Grove Wood or would be prepared to write a statement or take part in the hearing itself. Email snuffmills@hotmail.co.uk We can then explain how you can help in more detail.

The Big Save Our Parks Petition

The Big Save Our Parks Petition
Lead Petitioner : Mark Weston
http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/1403

Petition
“We, the undersigned, call on Bristol City Council to reconsider the proposed land sales as part of the Parks & Area Green Spaces Strategy. We consider the consultation process undertaken by the Cabinet to be flawed and by signing this petition, we want the Cabinet Councillors and officers to hear our concerns. Neighbourhood Partnerships should decide on any green space disposals in their area - making sure local people are involved in the decision making, unlike the decisions taken so far by Cabinet. We support continued investment in green spaces but not at the price of selling off the green lungs of our City.

We understand that, under new rules, petitions with 3,500 or more signatures will be debated at Full Council. The 20-year green space strategy is so important to Bristol and will affect communities for many years to come, so we believe it is right for all Councillors and the public to have their say at a meeting of the Council."


Background Information
Under recently adopted rules governing petitions, the Authority is obliged to bring a matter to Full Council where an issue attracts 3,500 signatures from people who live, work or study in the city.

Once this trigger point is reached, petition organisers can advise Council Officers that they wish to take up this opportunity for debate at the next available meeting.

We hope that by getting enough signatures from across the city that we can call for a debate at the March Council meeting and SAVE OUR PARKS.

The Making of "The Story of Snuff Mills"

Wickham Glen - work about to start

Work to create the new cycle ramp in Wickham Glen is about to start. Over the next few days contractors will begin to remove a number of trees along the route of the new ramp and then construction will commence. The contractors will bring materials through Wickham Glen itself and so the area is likely to be very muddy for a while. Once the ramp is built the Council will resurface the footpath with a no more than 2.2m wide 'dust and stone' path. This should improve access for everyone, but keep the natural feel of the area in tact.

Cold winters

Apparently December 2010 was the coldest one on record, but these photos show it could have been a lot worse. The top picture shows that the River Frome was so frozen over in 1963 that people could skate on it. The lower picture shows massive icicles hanging off the old quarry faces in 1947 - another exceptionally cold winter.

Photos courtesy of Sheila Hill. If you have old photos of the area, we'd love to see them - send them to snuffmills@hotmail.co.uk

Broom Hill Quarry

A lot of older people have mentioned the quarry that used to be where the car park is now at the end of River View. Thanks to some archive research at the Bristol Records Office by Andrew Hill, we have now found a black and white photo of the quarry from the 1950s. Sadly we did not find this picture in time for it to be included in the 'All About Snuff Mills' booklet, but there are lots of mentions of the quarry in it. You can get a copy of the booklet from the Snuff Mills cafe and various other places in Stapleton and Fishponds.

If you have old photos of the area, we'd love to see them, email them to snuffmills@hotmail.co.uk

Begbrook school film about Snuff Mills

Tree party video

A short film that captures all the fun of our recent winter tree party. Merry Christmas!

All about Snuff Mills

A new booklet all about the history and wildlife of Snuff Mills is now available. There is an accompanying oral history cd put together by children from Begbrook School.

You can get a copy of the booklet and cd from the Snuff Mills cafe.

Save our trees!

The government is proposing to make it easier for trees with dead branches covered by a Tree Preservation Order to be felled. These are just the sort of trees that are important for woodpeckers, fungi and insects. They are part of the web of life that makes a place like Grove Wood so special. Please take part in the Woodland Trust's campaign to stop this from happening. You will protected all trees and especially our very own special Grove Wood ones. just follow the link, it only takes a few minutes to do:
http://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/en/campaigning/our-views-and-policy/Pages/send-message.aspx

Winter Tree Party

About 300 people brave the ice and cold to take part in the Winter Tree Party in Snuff Mills. People made festive wreaths, animal masks, musical rattlers and lanterns for the tree procession that too place just as it was getting dark. Thanks to everyone who came along and for all the volunteers and especually Ruth Worsley who made it happen. If you visit the valey between now and New Year, look our for the specially decorated trees.

Winter Tree party

Come and celebrate the start of the festive season at our winter tree party on Sunday 5th December from 2-5pm by the mill. Come and see the trees that have been specially decorated for the season using sculptures made by children from all of our local schools.

They'll also be plenty to do for all ages including lantern making, mask making as well as a chance to weave a winter wreath to hang on your front door.

There will be a special children's earth walk to discover the wildlife of Snuff Mills, a historical walk where you may meet the ghost of Snuffy Jack. The highlight will be a special torchlight procession where we plan to light up the valley. There will be seasonal food and drink too.

The event will mark the publication of a new booklet and CD about Snuff Mills put together with help from children at local Begbrook Primary School with funding from the People's Millions.

The event is FREE and everyone is welcome.

Beautiful winter

This amazing bracket fungus is growing on this tree in Grove Wood. It's just the sort of beautiful sight that would be lost from Grove Wood if the landowner had his way and removed all of the so called 'dead, dying or dangerous trees'. This picture is a really good example of why a variety of trees of different ages and in different states are so important for wildlife. Let's hope Bristol City Council hurry up and turn it in to a nature reserve soon.