People / My Bristol Favourites
My Bristol Favourites: Matthew Symonds
Matthew Symonds is the coordinator of Bedminster’s Secret Gardens open day taking place on Sunday, June 12 between 11am and 4pm. Matthew and 24 others will be opening their gardens for people to visit to raise funds for local community gardening and environmental projects. Clifton Open Squares is also happening on the same weekend for a very interesting but complimentary contrast; with large gardens and garden squares open to the public as opposed to the small urban gardens in Bedminster.
Here are Matthew’s top-five Bristol favourites:
Nightingale Valley
is needed now More than ever
“I regularly walk our dog up through the gorge and Leigh Woods and Nightingale Valley is just one of the most magical places. The lush ferns and damp mosses make it feel like you’ve stumbled across some secret fairy dell.”
New Cut
“Everyone thinks of the docks when they think of the waterfront in Bristol, but the New Cut just a stone’s throw away is equally as impressive. Its ‘linea arboretum’, steep stone cut sides and muddy flats make it a great haven for wildlife, but it’s a lovely place for humans to walk along too! I love that when the tides coming in you can stand on Gaol Ferry Bridge and small the salty scent of the seaside in the heart of the city.”
Bristol’s community gardens
“In contrast to other cities where green space is so limited, we’re blessed that Bristol has so many great parks. I also love that so many tiny abandoned patches of land have been cultivated by communities and turned into small community gardens that we can all enjoy. One of my favourites in on South Street in Bedminster where a once bramble-strewn plot behind a billboard hoarding is now a stunning garden with fruit trees and planting that is cared for by local people all year round.”
Bristol’s community centres
“I admit to being a bit biased here as a trustee of the fantastic Southville Centre (above) that’s been a fantastic resource and centre for community activity for 25 years. It’s just one of scores of brilliant community centre -small and large across the city. We should celebrate and support the great work they all do.”
People riding bikes
My job takes me all over the country but I love coming back to Bristol. Arriving at Temple Meads and seeing the masses of bikes then pedalling off and joining the growing number of people moving around the city on bikes. I love that increasingly you see people of all ages, backgrounds and gender on bikes in Bristol (it’s no longer the domain on the Lycra clad brigade!). Bikes make Bristol a cleaner, greener and more sociable city – more please!