A Climate and Nature (CAN) Boost for Wildlife at Hillfields Park
|
At Hillfields Community Park Centre, a quiet but meaningful piece of nature work is taking shape—one bird box at a time.
Over the past two years, our ‘My Wild Hillfields’ campaign has been bringing local residents together to support urban wildlife and make space for birds and bats in the heart of the Hillfields community. What started as a simple idea, building bird boxes has grown into a steady programme of workshops, craft, and installation work which in time we hope will lead to a visible change in the park's environment. Wood for the project has been carefully prepared and cut by Mr Rogers, providing the raw materials needed for the boxes. Community workshops have been led by Nicky Sweetland, our Wild Women leader, helping residents design and build homes suitable for local bird species with a specific focus on swifts. The practical installation work has been carried out by Joe McKenna, from Bristol City Council Parks Team, ensuring each box is safely placed and ready to be used by wildlife. |
So far, we’ve installed the following across Hillfields Park and Hillfields Park Community Centre:
These installations are part of a wider effort led by Bristol City Council Parks Team to increase biodiversity in urban spaces and encourage more wildlife to thrive in Hillfields.
- 4 swift boxes have been installed on the Community Centre building
- 6 bird boxes have been placed around the park
- 1 bat box has also been installed to support nocturnal wildlife
These installations are part of a wider effort led by Bristol City Council Parks Team to increase biodiversity in urban spaces and encourage more wildlife to thrive in Hillfields.
The aim is simple but powerful: to create safe nesting spaces and encourage swifts, small garden birds, and bats to return and establish themselves in the area. Swifts in particular have been declining nationally, so providing dedicated nesting boxes is an important step in helping their populations recover locally.
We are proud to be one of 17 community groups supported by Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership to develop a Community Climate Action Plan, helping to drive local action for a greener, more resilient future. This work has been generously funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Looking ahead, the team hopes to install even more boxes across the park and surrounding buildings, continuing to build a network of safe habitats for wildlife while strengthening community connection to local green spaces.
As the boxes settle into place, Hillfields is quietly becoming a more welcoming home—not just for people, but for the wildlife sharing the space with them.
If you want to be involved in our Climate and Nature (CAN) Group, get in touch by emailing [email protected].
We are proud to be one of 17 community groups supported by Bristol Climate & Nature Partnership to develop a Community Climate Action Plan, helping to drive local action for a greener, more resilient future. This work has been generously funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
Looking ahead, the team hopes to install even more boxes across the park and surrounding buildings, continuing to build a network of safe habitats for wildlife while strengthening community connection to local green spaces.
As the boxes settle into place, Hillfields is quietly becoming a more welcoming home—not just for people, but for the wildlife sharing the space with them.
If you want to be involved in our Climate and Nature (CAN) Group, get in touch by emailing [email protected].
