To raise money for Your Park Bristol & Bath, I'm walking over 30 miles in a loop around Bristol to visit all 13 of Bristol's wonderful Local Nature Reserves.

The walk will be completed over 3 days in December 2026 starting and finishing at Troopers Hill chimney - which I can see from my bedroom window! I'll be visiting the Local Nature Reserves in south Bristol on day 1, north-west Bristol on day 2 and east Bristol on day 3.

Parks should keep everyone healthy, happy and connected – but for many people in Bristol and Bath, access, safety worries or not feeling welcome get in the way. Your Park Bristol & Bath is a local charity working alongside communities so everyone can access, feel safe in and belong to their parks.

The charity runs nature-based wellbeing sessions, remove access barriers with Disabled people and carers, and make sure community voices shape how parks are run.

I'm proud to be Chair of Trustees for Your Park. I got involved, and I am doing this fundraising walk, because while I am lucky enough to live very close to a green space and am able to visit whenever I want to - even though it is a steep climb from my house - I realise that it is not something everyone can do.

To be able to look out of my window and see the changing colours through the seasons, the rain blowing across the hill or the sun highlighting the purple heather, helps puts life's problems in perspective. To be able to walk out and see bees and butterflies in the summer, leaves unfurling in the spring or pick blackberries in the autumn gives me a chance to escape from the world of pinging phones and enjoy nature.

I know that being able to get out into nature has helped my mental health, I can sometimes feel rage and frustration dropping away as I walk. Ten years ago, when my mum passed away, it was more important to me than ever.

Everyone should have the opportunity to get out into nature, so I am particularly proud of the work Your Park have done looking the barriers to people accessing green space, you can read more about that here - https://yourpark.org.uk/beyond-distance

Please give what you can to help our charity do more.Your donation will help more people enjoy and benefit from the green spaces on their doorstep.

Thank you so much!

Day 1 from Troopers Hill LNR to

Eastwood Farm LNR, Stockwood Open Space LNR, Callington Road LNR, Northern Slopes LNR, Manor Woods Valley LNR, New Cut LNR

Day 2

Old Sneed Park LNR, Lamplighters Marsh LNR, Lawrence Weston Moor LNR

Day 3 Badock's Wood LNR, Narroways LNR, Royate Hill LNR and back to Troopers Hill

At the end of days 1 & 2 I will get a bus home and return to the same point by bus the next morning to walk a complete loop.