The Narroways Nature Reserve in St Werburghs will close this year for Bonfire Night in order to try and protect the natural environment. The Trust which manages the site said the decision was made to close the reserve on November 5 after 1,500 people gathered on the hill and ‘left a huge amount of rubbish’ last year.
The stretch of land located on Mina Road is owned by Bristol City Council and managed by Narroways Millennium Green Trust. The nature reserve was closed for New Year's Eve last year over similar concerns and is set to close again this coming New Year's Eve.
The group who manage the site posted on their website and Facebok page that “the nature reserve gets abused by large groups of people, many arriving by taxi and scooter from outside the area.” They said it was “a shame for small family gatherings.”
READ MORE: 'Worst night ever' after 'hundreds' of revellers left 'ton of rubbish' on green
Anna Spencer, secretary of Narroways Millenium Green Trust, told Bristol Live that locals are supportive and understanding of the closure after finding the space overcrowded last year and left looking like it had been trampled on by “great herds of wildebeests”.
The entrances to the nature reserve will be closed from 4pm on Saturday, November 5 until 10am the following day. Since the pandemic, the area has become increasingly popular, making the space harder to manage by volunteers.
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. It ended up with 1,500 people all off their heads, they were really out of it.
“They were letting off fireworks into the crowds and it was pretty scary. My daughter and her friends are in their early thirties and they just found it too scary, they came away, because it was bonkers.
“The next day it was in the most awful state, everybody had just chucked away all their empty bottles and 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.”
The volunteers who manage the council-owned land in St Werburghs have found the numbers of people gathering on the hill over the last year or so unsustainable.
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 which are now at threat due to the extent of the damage caused in recent years where larger gatherings on the hill have taken place.
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