My Bristol Favourites: Maddy Bartlett

Maddy Bartlett is programmes officer for the Bristol Natural History Consortium which produces the Festival of Nature, taking place until June 25. Maddy also founded and co-chairs a young wildlife enthusiasts group, Bristol Nature Network, with a membership of more than 800 young people with a passion for nature. In her spare time, Maddy is a volunteer conservation assistant at the Avon Wildlife Trust.

Here are Maddy’s top-five Bristol favourites:

The River Avon

“I recently walked from Bristol to Bath to find out about the River Avon for this year’s Festival of Nature programme. I was blown away by the beauty of the journey and was amazed to see a heronr in the middle of the city, a Victorian tea-rooms, three kingfishers, loads of gorgeous spring flowers peppering the undergrowth and a Peacock butterfly, all living alongside the river . Very much worth the sore feet by the time we reached Bath!”

Bristol Nature Network

“Bristol Nature Network is without a doubt one of my favourite things about Bristol. It’s a relatively new grassroots organisation which has brought young people (18-30ish) from around the city together to enjoy nature, develop skills including identification and campaigning and to chat to other people who love nature, wildlife and – of course – Bristol. We run events, signpost to activities around the city, and have a really active Facebook group so it’s easy to join. The enthusiasm of the group is a great source of inspiration for me and everyone involved!”

Bristol harbourside

“As a born-and-bred Bristolian, the harbourside has been the backdrop to my upbringing. From taking ferries down the Avon Gorge to sitting outside the Arnolfini with a summer cider, I’ve spent many a day enjoying the docks. I was lucky to live for a year on the Portway, and watching boats bobbing by my living room window was such a treat. I love how the area comes alive in the summer with the hundreds of festivals that now call Bristol their home – I feel very privileged that my job is to run one of them.”

Bristol’s green spaces

“Wherever you are in Bristol, you just have to look up and you can see green! Even well-known buildings like the Wills tower were built to a certain height to ensure that the surrounding countryside wasn’t blocked out, so it always feels like we’re in a big village rather than a city. There are 99 sites of special scientific interest in Bristol, which I’m lucky to have seen most of whilst running Festival of Nature outreach projects. It’s amazing to see some of our exotic native creatures, just by lifting up a log or shaking a branch. Try looking up elephant hawkmoths or bee orchids; they’re unbelievable and can easily be found on our doorstep.

Bristol’s volunteering spirit

“I love how many extraordinary projects there are in Bristol, and how many admirable people take up the volunteering mantle and help to make Bristol an amazing (and green) place to live! Having learnt all I know about the natural world through volunteering with the Avon Wildlife Trust, I would recommend it to everyone – you get so much back by just giving a bit of your time to something special.”

Read more: Preview: Bristol-Bath Festival of Nature