A great evening for our Spring Bat Walk on Horfield Common, led by the ever-enthusiastic Steve England.
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It was still a little windy as we gathered, and we were not quite sure what we would see. But as we moved down towards the lower end of the Common, the air settled and, just as the light began to fade, the bats appeared. We were rewarded with sightings of Common Pipistrelles and Soprano Pipistrelles, a slightly different mix from our autumn walks.

While we waited for dusk, Steve shared some fascinating insights into the plants and wildlife along the route, and we were joined by some very knowledgeable young participants, which made the evening all the more enjoyable.

Once again, the Lower Common Wildlife Pond proved to be a real hotspot, with most activity centred around the pond, its trees and the sheltered microclimates around it. A good reminder of just how important these habitats are for wildlife on the Common.

And so the evening ended with discussion as to whether the moving things in the sky were meteors or satellites... we will never know....

A big thank you to everyone who joined us, and hope to see you at the next event which is.....

The Folklore of Wildflowers, which is our next guided walk and takes place on 20 May. This one is led by another local naturalist, Eric Swithinbank, and is the chance to explore the myths, meanings and traditional uses of the wildflowers and flowering trees of the Common.

Book here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/folklore-of-wildflowers-at-horfield-common-tickets-1985646326615?aff=erelexpmlt

It turned into a seriously windy day at the Ardagh Monthly Market yesterday – but we held onto the gazebo (just about! 💪) and made the most of it.

Despite the blustery conditions, we had some brilliant conversations with really interesting people, welcomed some lovely new members, and gathered encouraging feedback about the group’s activities.

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by – your support means a lot! 💚

This particular plant is growing on a Crab Apple, Malus ‘Butterball’, which is a typical host for mistletoe as it grows mainly on apple, lime, hawthorn and poplar.

There are over 1000 species of mistletoe worldwide, yet just this one native UK species. Although mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant, drawing water and nutrients from its host, it also produces its own food through photosynthesis. In this case, it is doing no damage to the tree. It spreads mainly through birds, especially mistle thrushes. They feed on the sticky white berries and deposit the seeds onto branches, where they adhere to the bark and, if conditions are right, begin to grow.

There are a few other instances of mistletoe on the Common, but this is the most accessible and easiest to spot. You can find it a little bit north-east of the Lower Common Wildlife Pond.

If you are walking nearby, take a moment to look up. It is a small but fascinating reminder of the ecological relationships quietly unfolding in this green space.

Ellie Kilby, our newest volunteer, joined FoHC at the end of 2025 after earning her MSc in Conservation Leadership. Here’s what she has to share about starting her journey with us…

“I was eager to commit to something that allowed me to give back to the local community while drawing on my studies and previous volunteer experience across different cultural contexts. Growing up in the countryside, I am really interested in learning from volunteering in a city setting. Alongside FoHC, I also volunteer with another city project, East London Waterworks Park, and between the two roles, I hope to generate new ideas and put my skills to practical, meaningful use.

A soggy January leads to a muddy Litter Pick, but we had a dedicated group braving the elements to kick off the first Pick of 2026!
A big thank you to our wonderful Pickers, who make a grey day exciting and do so much to help keep the Common free from rubbish.
While we had to finish early due to (more) rain, we still collected a hefty amount!

We haven't had any new faces at the Litter Pick for a while and would love to see you in February - come say hello and join in! The next Pick is Saturday 28th February, 10am - 12pm, meeting at the Ardagh gates.

Last night was the world premiere of Bristol’s Hidden River, a short film by Bristol Avon Rivers Trust. The film follows the River Frome from its quiet rural origins into the heart of Bristol, where it is channelled beneath the city through hidden culverts. it highlights the resilience of the river’s wildlife and the dedication of local communities working to protect, restore and reconnect people with this often overlooked river.

The themes explored in the film are clearly linked to Horfield Common. The springs and naturally wet ground beneath the Common once fed into Horfield Brook, a small stream that historically drained this area. Over time, the brook was culverted and incorporated into the urban drainage system, meaning it now flows underground and is no longer visible. While there is no longer a single open channel that can be followed, historical mapping, local geology and drainage patterns show that water from the Common continues to drain into the River Frome, which then joins the River Avon before reaching the Bristol Channel.

Seen in this wider context, Horfield Common is part of a much larger, interconnected water system and highlights the reasons why looking after local water sources such as springs, ditches and ponds matters. Even small, often overlooked features play a role in supporting wildlife and maintaining the health of the rivers they feed into, both locally and further downstream.

On Saturday evening you might have come past Horfield Common and seen a very strange sight! Friends of Horfield Common and The Ardagh Community Trust were holding their very first Wassail in the orchard. (In case you didn’t know, the word wassail comes for the Anglo-Saxon shout, ‘waes hael’, meaning ‘be well’ or ‘be in good health’) 
 
We started in the Ardagh café where mulled cider was available to give us good spirit. We practised the song: Here we come a-Wassailing with Rog on his melodeon and then, using torches and making a loud noise by banging pans with a spoon, lids together or whatever noise producing thing that was to hand, we processed to the orchard. Our Wassailing song was sung, loud shouts went up and the trees were each given a sprinkle of cider. Pieces of toast were hung by old and young alike on the branches of the trees, the idea being that birds will take pieces of the Wassailed toast, be well fed and then hang about in the tree, ridding it of harmful insects during the coming year. 
 
The procession moved to wassail beside more orchard trees on the Ardagh site and then finally to the oldest Apple Tree where some members of Stepford Singers choir sang a wassail called The Old Apple Tree to more noise and cheers, cider sprinkling and toast on the branch.
 
If all of that hasn’t encouraged our trees into growing well in 2026 we’ll just have to try a bit harder next year! Many thanks to all who made the evening a success. 

This has been the biggest year yet for the Friends of Horfield Common – and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of it. Volunteering brings its own barrel of frustrations – things go wrong, there are disappointments and there is never enough time in the day! – but I’m in awe of how much everyone has accomplished together in 2025. All these successes are down to the enthusiasm, skills and kindness of our Friends. I can’t thank them enough for all for their incredible hard work, energy and patience!

Our projects this year have covered the full range from educational to physical labour! One of our biggest and most popular projects this year was the Twelve Trees Trail leaflet, which has had multiple printings and you can pick up from the Café on the Common. Everyone in the group played a hand in bringing this amazing trail of twelve of the Common’s trees of note to fruition – from selecting the trees, collating the info, designing the beautiful leaflet, testing the route and even holding onto the boxes of leaflets!

Then of course, the biggest in physical size is the New Quab Pond! We benefit so much from the fantastic knowledge of our volunteers and this was one of the most tangible results of us using in-depth knowledge of the Common to improve the space for both wildlife and people. Thanks to the support of Bristol City Council, we were able to dig out the natural spring below the orchard area – turning it from a muddy bog into what we hope will be a well-loved pond!

The group took a step forward this year, with many critical decisions on our communications, group structure and finances being put into place. Not the most exciting, but very necessary, so that we could apply for important funding. Thanks to the rigorous hard work of the Friends, we secured CIL Funding for bat boxes, to help bats regain their home around the Common. Fingers crossed for more successes in future!

It's often the small things that go unnoticed, yet keep the group thriving. A big thank you to everyone who has attended a FoHC meeting to share their views and expertise, joined in events such as collecting hundreds of bags of rubbish at our Monthly Litter Picks or enjoyed a wonderful Steve England Bat Walk, to those on both sides of the table at our info stalls, helped publicise our events, or even just wished us well.
And much of our work would have been impossible without the support of our friends at The Ardagh, so a big thank you to them there as well! Without their knowledge, friendship, and kind sharing of space and tools, we wouldn’t be able to get many of our projects off the ground.

Not all projects go successfully, but each has been a step forward. Each step bringing us closer together and learning more – about the Common, about our friends and about ourselves too! I’m so excited to develop our upcoming projects together and see the Common flourish even more over the next year. Here’s to an even bigger 2026!

Lucy Haslam, 
​Co-Chair/Secretary

​As you may have seen, the signs have been up for a while saying that there were plans for the small fenced-off area where the children’s playhouse used to be. We wanted to improve the habitat to provide food and shelter for a range of mammals, birds and insects so we’re increasing the number of native trees and shrubs; in 2026 we’ll be working on the wildflower patch.