Green capital 2015: Putting nature first

Broadcaster and naturalist Simon King is a familiar face to anyone interested in wildlife. Since his early childhood in Bristol, he has embraced the natural world and shared this passion through TV documentaries.

As an ambassador for Bristol 2015, we quizzed him on his connections to the city.

Bristol 2015: What’s your earliest memory of nature?

Simon King: I used to ferret around in the back garden and look for frogs, toads and newts and try to build ponds out of old tin baths.

We watched foxes in the back garden that my mother used to feed on the back patio at night.

I think Bristolians generally have been very good and plugged into a sustainable existence without really calling it that.

Bristol 2015: Do you have any favourite green spaces in Bristol?

Simon King: Where I lived was just on the edge of Blaise Woods and that will always remain a very important part of Bristol for me, it’s still a beautiful oasis really bang in the heart of the city.

Bristol 2015: What’s been your most positive green experience in the city?

Simon King: I think Bristolians generally have been very good and plugged into a sustainable existence without really calling it that.

Where we lived, it was a triangle of semi-detached, very modest houses that surrounded an allotment so many people fed themselves from the back yard.

Bristol 2015: Do you think attitudes to nature in Bristol have changed over the years?

Simon King: I think broadly the language of how one approaches the natural world has changed and the awareness of our dependence on it has increased.

I’m not sure it’s always acknowledged when it comes to decision-making but I think Bristol’s better than most when it comes to how one takes into account the impact we have on the environment and consequently our own foundations.

There’s a real sense of being able to act and act positively.

Bristol 2015: What is your role as ambassador for Bristol 2015?

Simon King: I’d like to think it’s to help carry the flag for the natural world and wildlife.

Bristol 2015: What are your ambitions and hopes for the city this year?

Simon King: I would love to see a coherent network of green space in Bristol, there’s a great deal of enthusiasm and will to join up some of the dots.

There are green dots all over Bristol, it’s a green city but there’s more we can do… However green Bristol is and however aware we all are of the natural world, there’s no doubt it has suffered catastrophic losses over the past 50 years.

It’s a desperate state of affairs that can only be redressed through very proactive land restoration projects.

Bristol 2015: How can people get closer to nature?

Simon King: Look around, see what you have on your doorstep and do something to enhance it.

We’ve all got a bit of green around us, don’t ignore it – don’t just think it’s somewhere for dogs to do a poo. Look at what it could be for wildflowers, for birds, for your kids.

It could be a place for imagination to flourish. Whether it’s a postage stamp sized piece of land or a little green island surrounded by concrete, it has value and it has more value if you invest in it emotionally and practically.

You can find out more about wildlife on the Simon King website.