A Bristol nature reserve will close again this New Year’s Eve to avoid litter and damage to wildlife. Narroways Nature Reserve in St Werburghs, which is maintained by a team of volunteers, will be out-of-bounds after previous years saw it attract huge crowds.
The popular picnic spot and viewing point was closed off for New Year’s Eve 2021 and it also closed on Bonfire Night this year, after 1,500 people gathered the year before and "trampled" it. Entrances to the nature reserve will be closed from dusk this Saturday (December 31) until the following morning.
The stretch of land, located along Mina Road, is owned by Bristol City Council and managed by Narroways Millennium Green Trust. Volunteers say they have found the numbers of people gathering on the hill over the last year or so unsustainable.
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The open space at Narroways was purchased by Bristol City Council in 1997, following a fundraising campaign to protect it from the threat of development. The hill now supports a thriving community of wildlife but volunteers say this is at risk due to the extent of the damage caused in recent years, when larger gatherings on the hill have taken place.
Signs will be in place from New Year’s Eve until New Year’s Day, informing the public that the nature reserve is temporarily closed. The trustees at Narroways Millennium Green Trust say they have been in touch with the police ahead of Saturday evening, asking them to keep an eye out for anyone who may be attempting to gather there for New Year’s Eve.
Anna Spencer, secretary of Narroways Millennium Green Trust, told Bristol Live that locals are supportive and understanding of the closure after more than a thousand people showed up for bonfire night in 2021. Ms Spencer said: “Last year on bonfire night the streets were jammed with crowds of people pulling up in taxis and carrying large crates of beers and drinks.
“The next day it was in the most awful state, everybody had just chucked away all their empty bottles and broken glass was everywhere. It was just horrible and all the grass was trampled upon, it looked like great herds of wildebeests had gone over it.
“It took us a dozen huge rubbish sacks to clear it up and people were just so upset. Narroways has become known as a party spot, maybe since lockdown, so we can’t let this happen again.
“Locals have all been really supportive. They’ve all said, ‘we love this place, it’s sad that you have to do this’. They understand that it’s a nature reserve and it needs to be looked after.”
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