Friends of Horfield Common

08/10/2026

Date: Last Saturday of every month (except December)
When: 10am - 12pm, 31st October 2026

Remaining 2026 date:
Saturday 28th November 2026

The sessions finish about 11.30am/12pm, depending on energy/litter levels and are usually followed by an informal social at the Café on the Common.

Location: Meet by the green "Friends of Horfield Common" sign/noticeboard at the front of The Ardagh's main gates (by the car park), or catch us on the way around the Common!

All equipment is provided, but please be sure to dress appropriately for the weather. Suitable for all ages and abilities - please stay for however long you're comfortable with and take breaks when you need to. It's a very relaxed event and a great opportunity to chat and meet your neighbours!

08/10/2026

🐸🌿 And there we have it... it's officially a pond again!

After four digging sessions, some great weather, a lot of hard work and an enormous amount of mud, we can finally say that the Lower Common Wildlife Pond is looking like a pond again, rather than just a muddy puddle (okay.. so it might look like one today!)

A huge thank you to everyone who rolled up their sleeves, pulled on their wellies and got stuck in. We really appreciate all the time and effort people have given to this project. It has been particularly lovely to welcome some new faces alongside our regular volunteers.

Now we have sit back, wait for some rain and watch how the wildlife responds! 🐸💚

More piccies here: https://www.friendsofhorfieldcommon.co.uk/blog

05/10/2026

UPDATE: You've got 5 minutes to get your wellies and gloves on, down your cuppa, and come and join us for the final stint... (TODAY Thursday 8th October, 10am - 12pm)... to finish off the fantastic work on the Lower Common Pond.
(Back by popular demand???)

04/10/2026

It's a beautiful day, and what could be more fun, on a Sunday afternoon, than helping to dig the final stage of the wildlife pond? We are digging from 2-4pm at the older pond at the bottom of the Common, with the aim bring to clear some of the mud from under the viewing platform.. So come along if you are free... And bring wellies and gloves. We'll provide everything else. See you there!

29/09/2026

🐸🌿 Pond dig, Part 2... and what an effort!

Another muddy morning at the Lower Common Wildlife Pond, with a fantastic team getting stuck in and making huge progress.

Today’s work included using some of the excavated clay to create a natural bank around the pond, complete with its very own clay bear! We also created a stepped area at the far end to provide a safer route out should anyone accidentally end up in the pond once it is established.

You will see a close-up of our clay bear in the photos. Apart from being rather lovely, it demonstrates just how well the natural clay binds together, creating an effective waterproof layer for the pond. It also explains why digging it out was such hard work: incredibly sticky when wet and extremely hard once dry!

There is still more to do. The channel now needs extending as far as possible beneath the bridge, with some further work likely on the right-hand side to help water flow into that part of the pond.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped over the two days, including those who spotted this morning's Facebook post and simply turned up this morning with their wellies ready to help! 💚

We are back for the final part on Sunday afternoon, 2pm - 4pm! Please bring gloves!

29/09/2026

🐸🌿 Lower Horfield Common wildlife pond – progress update! Please do come and join us this morning (Tuesday) for our second dig.

Yesterday we held the first session to clear out the wildlife pond, removing lots of rubbish and even carefully rehoming a little froglet! 🐸. We managed to get down to the clay layer, so fingers crossed this will help the pond hold water naturally. 🤞💧

We’re only working on half of the pond for now, to minimise disturbance to the wildlife. The other end will be tackled next year, but we’re planning to create a channel to help feed water into the right-hand side in the meantime.

A huge thank you to everyone who came along and got stuck in! 💚

Fancy joining us this morning? We’ll be back at the pond from 10am–12 noon today. Just pull on your wellies and come and lend a hand – all welcome!

📸 Here are a few photos from yesterday’s efforts.
🌱🐸🦋

23/09/2026

So get involved if you'd like to give your opinions on your local park

https://yourpark.org.uk/news/get-involved-building-a-park-quality-plan-for-bristol?fbclid=IwY2xjawUhKCJwZG9mBGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzQwOTk2MjYyMzA4NTYwOQABHidD3csiSwloTQhuTId1h9NmObpFG26QNrzdWSLuPigl33ZDWR7o8UyJ5mGB_aem_CgiF1LwzG6vQmZH7Yb6KJg

Having a good quality park near to home isn't just a 'nice to have'.

15/09/2026

Please note that this activity is not suitable for children

10/09/2026

UPDATE: The council have been out to fill the heatwave-caused holes between the Ardagh and the playground.
If you spot any more, please report them (along with what3words references if you can) to https://www.bristol.gov.uk/.../parks.../parks-maintenance